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H,   J.    I.KMiVI,    PRINTKR 


DAVENPORT,    IOWA 


CITY  OF  DAVEiNPORT— 191G 

Mayor   John  Berwald 

City  Clerk    Hugo   Moeller 

Aldermen 

At  Large Wm.  H.  Gosch 

At  Large  Christ.  D.  Kuehl 

First  Ward   Julius  Jehring 

Second  Ward    Wm.   Moeller 

Third  Ward  Arthur  Meyer 

Fourth  Ward   John  Knostman 

Fifth  Ward B.  M.  Raben 

Sixth  Ward   Chas.  L.  Lindhohu 


CITY  OF  DAVENPORT— 1918 

Mayor  CM.  Littleton 

City  Clerk   Hugo  Moeller 

Aldermen 

At  Large   John  G.  Wolters 

At  Large E.  R.  McAdam 

First  Ward   George  J.  Peck 

Second  Ward   Walter  Bracher 

Third  Ward Hugo   P.   Eckmann 

Foui'th  Ward Chris   G.   Dehrens 

Fifth  Ward George  White 

Sixth  Ward A.  E.  Hallow 

Board  of  Public  Works 

John  W.  Crowley  Roscoe  E.  Sawistowsky  John  Heeney 

F.  W.  Friedholdt,  Clerk 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

City   Officers    1916-1918 2 

City   Planning  for   Davenport 7 

Population    8 

Streets    12 

Street  Standards    16 

Proposed  Street  Plan  in  the  New  Territory 18 

Diagonal   Streets    24 

Traffic  Way  up  Goose  Hollow 24 

Cost  and  Method  of  Procedure 26 

Size  of  Lots 28 

Limiting  the  Percentage  of  Lot  to  be  Built  Upon 32 

Building  Lines    32 

Districting  or  Zoning 38 

Subdivision  of  Land 40 

Hickory  Grove  Road 44 

Kirkwood  Boulevard   44 

Miller  Avenue 50 

Apportionment  of  Assessments  for  Street  Openings 50 

Excess  Condemnation   54 

Finance TS 

Transportation    60 

The  Grouping  of  Public  Buildings    62 

Bathing  Beach 64 

Another  Bridge  Needed 66 

Parks  and  Playgrounds GG 

Appendix 73 


ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  DRAWINGS. 


PAGE. 

Map  Showing  Growth  of  the  City  of  Davenport 9 

Population   Curve  and  Tables 11 

Original  Plan  of  Washington,  D.  C 13 

Recommended  Street  Widths 15 

Old  and  New  Street  Plan  Philadelphia 17 

Map  of  the  Older  Part  of  London 19 

Hillcrest  Avenue,  McClellan  Heights 21 

McClellan  Boulevard 21 

Radial  Highways  Leading  into  Davenport 23 

Traffic   Way  from   Eighth   and   Harrison   to   Division   and   Locust 

Streets    25 

Unsightly  Conditions  Existing  Where  Houses  are  Faced  on  Alleys.  27 

Map  Showing  Houses  Located  on  an  Alley 29 

Plats  Showing  Percentage  of  Areas  Built  Upon 31 

The  Development  of  a  50  ft.   Street  Through  the   Establishment 

of  Building  Lines    33 

The  Development  of  a  60  ft.  Street  Through  the  Establishment  of 

Building  Lines   35 

Recommendations  for  the  Establishing  of  Building  Lines  on  Streets 

of  Various  Widths    37 

Map  Showing  Present  Building  Distribution 37 

Residential   Property  Values   Destroyed   by  the   Disregard  of  the 

Natural  Building  Lines   39 

Map  of  Portion  of  New  York  Showing  Building  Restrictions 41 

Argument  for  Locating  Sewer,  Water  and  Gas  Mains  in  Alleys. .  .   43 
Plan  for  Extension  of  Kirkwood  Blvd.,  Brady  to  Harrison  Streets.  .   45 

Views  of  Kirkwood  and  McClellan  Boulevards 47 

Street  Section  Kirkwood  Blvd.  and  Proposed  New  Bridge 49 

Plan  for  the  Extension  of  Kirkwood  Blvd.  from  Christie  street  to 

Jersey  Ridge  Road 51 

Plan  for  Opening  of  Miller  Ave.  from  High  St.  to  Campbell  Ave.  .    53 

Diagrams  Showing  Indebtedness  of  Cities  in  Iowa 59 

Main  Lines  of  Communication 61 

Plan  for  Playgrounds  and  Bathing  Beach  on  River  Front 63 

Wading  Pool,  Vander  Veer  Park 65 

Map  Showing  Portion  Unused  by  Parks  and  Playgrounds 67 

Sunken  Garden  Fejervary  Park 69 

Plan  for  Park  at  Tenth  and  Sylvan  Avenue 71 

General  City  Plan  Map Back 


THE  NECESSITY  OF  CITY  PLANNING. 

Good  planning  for  cities  and  closely  built  towns  and 
villages  is  not  primarily  a  matter  of  aesthetics,  but  of  econ- 
omics. The  main  object  is  to  prevent  or  remedy  the  phys- 
ical and  moral  evils  and  losses  which  accompany  congestion 
of  population.  To  effect  this  object,  it  is  necessary  to  pre- 
vent the  corruption  of  the  air  the  people  breathe  night  and 
day,  of  the  water  they  drink,  and  of  the  foods  they  eat; 
and  to  this  end  well-ventilated  dwellings,  shops  and  fac- 
tories, a  pure  and  abundant  water  supply  and  a  safe  sewage 
disposal,  and  rapid  ti'ansportation  and  prompt  delivery  foi 
foods  are  all  indispensable. 

There  must  also  be  pi'ovided  rapid  transportation  for 
passengers  and  all  sorts  of  goods  into  and  out  of  the  city, 
else  the  population  will  not  be  spread  over  a  sufficient  area, 
and  the  industries  v\-hich  support  the  people  will  not  be 
carried  on  advantageously. 

The  laying  out  of  most  American  cities  has  been  casual 
and  thoughtless  of  future  needs.  The  common  rectangular 
lay-out,  without  any  well-considered  diagonals,  causes  a 
great  daily  waste  of  human  and  animal  labor  and  of  fuel; 
while  high  buildings,  narrow  streets  and  lack  of  open  spaces 
make  it  impossible  to  keep  the  cities  well  aired  and  v/ell 
sunned. 

To  improve,  or  reform,  the  lay-out  of  most  American 
cities  is,  therefore,  a  great  public  need,  not  only  for  beauty's 
sake,  but  for  the  sake  of  the  health,  efficiency  and  happi- 
ness of  their  people. — Charles  W.  Eliot. 


6  CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 

Davenport,  Iowa,  Feb,  9,  1918. 

TO  THE  HONORABLE,  THE  MAYOR  AND  TIIE  MEIVI- 

'      BERS  OF  THE  CITY  COUNCIL. 

Gentlemen : — On  every  hand  we  see  the  utmost  effort  at 
increased  efficiency,  the  conservation  of  food,  money,  re- 
sources, time  and  labor.  We  are  told  that  every  saving  we 
make  in  national  resources  and  supplies  will  hasten  the  end 
of  the  war.  It  is,  then,  at  a  very  opportune  time  that  we 
take  up  City  Planning  in  Davenport. 

"City  Planning  is  City  Conservation."  Its  chief  func- 
tion is  to  see  that  there  shall  not  be  waste  in  the  manner 
and  the  order  in  which  our  city  shall  develop,  and  those 
principles  of  orderly  planning  which  will  secure  the  maxi- 
mum of  efficiency  with  a  minimum  expenditure  of  energy 
and  the  minimum  of  waste,  are  precisely  the  principles 
which  at  this  time,  of  all  times,  we  need  to  observe  and  put 
into  action. 

On  February  21,  1917,  your  Honorable  Body  passed  the 
following  resolution : 

"Resolved,  By  the  City  Council  of  the  City  of  Daven- 
port, that  the  City  Engineer  prepare  a  Comprehensive  Plan 
for  the  orderly  development  and  extension  of  the  street 
system  of  the  City  of  Davenport,  containing  suggestions 
for  the  correction  of  mistakes  where  the  present  plan  is 
considered  defective,  and  recommendations  for  controlling 
the  platting  and  development  of  tracts  within  and  con- 
tiguous to  the  City  Limits,  minimum  size  of  lots,  limitation 
of  number  of  houses  to  the  acre,  and  establish  building 
lines,  residential,  retail  and  manufacturing  districts,  and 
containing  other  matters  pertinent  to  such  plan,  same  to 
be  submitted  to  the  City  Council  for  approval  and  adoption. 

"Resolved,  That  the  City  Engineer  be  authorized  to  hire 
any  extra  help  that  may  be  necessary  in  compiling  this 
plan." 

As  a  result  of  my  study,  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  tiie 
following  conclusions,  recommendations  and  suggestions. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

ROSCOE  E.  SAWISTOWSKY, 

City  Engineer. 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT. 


A  City  seeking-  to  incorporate  that  which  is  most  essen- 
tial to  its  efficient,  sightly  and  orderly  growth,  should  have 
a  comprehensive  plan,  for  the  development  and  the  laying: 
out  of  such  streets,  public  places  and  parks,  as  will  l>est 
serve  the  health,  safety  and  convenience  of  the  people. 

City  planning  regulates  the  use  of  land,  so  that  all  land 
owners  may  enjoy  adequate  sun,  light,  air  and  convenience 
of  access.  City  Planning  is  constructive — it  pays  because 
it  saves  the  costly  process  of  correcting  mistakes.  City 
Planning  is  the  application  of  business  principles  to  ilie 
growth  of  our  Cities.  No  one  would  undertake  a  business 
enterprise,  even  of  minor  importance,  without  a  thorough 
study  of  the  problem,  and  plans  for  meeting  the  conditions 
successfully  as  they  arise.  But  the  building  of  a  City,  our 
most  important  enterprise,  has  generally  been  conducted  in 
a  spasmodic  fashion,  without  preparation  for  change,  or  ex- 
pansion. The  development  of  one  section  has  generally 
been  carried  on  independently  of  its  relation  to  the  City  as 
a  whole. 

Davenport  was  founded  in  1839 — 79  years  ago,  which, 
for  an  individual,  would  not  be  considered  a  great  age.  But 
because  Davenport  has  outlived  the  allotted  life  of  man, — 
"three  score  years  and  ten" — it  does  not  follow  that  as  a 
City,  it  is  near  its  end.  It  is  only  just,  beginning  to  grow. 
During  that  short  space  of  time,  since  Antoine  LeClaire 
founded  the  City  of  Davenport  on  the  Iowa  shore  of  the 
Mississippi  river,  directly  across  from  Rock  Island,  then  a 
town  of  several  thousand  people,  its  growth  has  been  steady 
and  sure.  Today,  with  a  population  of  over  50,000  people,  we 
have  as  yet  no  serious  traffic  congestion,  no  slums  to  eradi- 
cate and  no  serious  problems  of  sanitation,  96  9r  of  the  pop- 
ulation Ijeing  provided  A\ith  sewage  facilities.     What  parks 


8  CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 

we  have  are  excellent,  but  we  need  more  small  parks  and 
playgrounds,  located  so  as  to  be  of  easy  access  to  all  our 
population.  Parks  should  be  placed  within  one-half  mile 
of  every  residence.  This  interesting  subject  is  taken  up 
later  under  ''Parks." 

The  congestion  of  traffic  on  the  Government  Bridge  de- 
mands the  attention  of  your  honorable  body.  The  three 
cities,  Davenport,  Rock  Island  and  Moline,  situated  as  they 
are,  with  a  frontage  of  several  miles  on  either  side  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  virtually  one  community,  and  with  only 
one  means  of  communication,  a  narrow  bridge  allowing  only 
one  line  of  traffic  each  way,  presents  an  economic  prob- 
lem. One  slow-moving,  horse-drawn  vehicle  can  hold  up 
thirty  or  more  faster  vehicles,  at  a  great  loss  of  time  and 
money.  With  the  increased  activities  on  the  Arsenal,  sev- 
eral thousand  more  men  are  employed  there.  The  conges- 
tion of  traffic  caused  by  the  flow  of  this  large  number  of 
men  and  vehicles  going  to  and  from  work,  delays  other  in- 
ter-city traffic  10  to  20  minutes  each  way 


POPULATION. 

The  population  of  the  City  of  Davenport  at  the  present 
time  is  estimated  at  51,044  (see  illustration  on  Page  7)  dis- 
tributed in  the  several  wards  as  follows: 

POPULATION  AND  AREA  TABLE. 

Area         Approximate         Estimated         No.  of 


ai'd 

Acres 

Per  Cent 

Population 

People 

Inhabited 

1918 

Per  Acre 

1 

1207 

50% 

6809 

6 

2 

957 

85% 

8990 

9 

3 

800 

75% 

9017 

11 

4 

561 

95% 

8178 

15 

5 

799 

85%     ■ 

9475 

12 

6 

1300 

60% 

8575 

7 

Totals 

5625 

51044 

9 

CITY  PLANNING  FOF   DAVENPORT 


10  CITY  PLANNING  OF  DAVENPORT 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  this  wonderful  growth  will 
cease.  On  the  contrary,  all  indications  point  to  a  further 
development  which  will  far  excel  the  record  of  the  past.  It 
is  safe  to  assume  that  in  twenty-five  years  our  population 
v/ill  double.  Streets  that  are  now  ample  to  take  care  of  the 
traffic  of  a  City  of  50,000,  will  be  wholly  inadequate  to  care 
for  a  City  of  100,000.  Many  streets  will  have  to  be  wid- 
ened. More  parks  and  playgrounds  will  be  needed.  Also 
rapid  transportation,  to  enable  the  workman  to  reach  his 
home  in  the  suburbs  quickly,  which  will  be  twice  as  far 
from  the  central  district  as  at  present.  These,  and  many 
other  problems  will  have  to  be  solved. 

Many  plans  for  Cities  have  miscarried  and  failed  of 
accomplishment  because  of  their  impracticability. 

The  first  consideration  in  City  Planning  should  be  the 
economic,  and  then  the  aesthetic;  not  the  reverse,  as  has 
been  the  case  in  many  elaborate  plans  prepared  for  other 
Cities,  wholly  impossible  of  accomplishment,  from  the  econ- 
omic standpoint. 

The  first  thought  in  laying  out  a  City  Planning  scheme 
should  be  given  to  that  which  will  make  the  City,  as  a  City, 
a  better  place  to  work  and  live  in.  The  blocks,  lots,  streets, 
parks  and  water-front  should  be  so  designed  as  to  save 
time  and  money  to  the  property  owner  and  citizen;  to  in- 
crease the  convenience,  comfort,  speed  and  economy  with 
which  they  can  go  from  their  homes  to  their  places  of  busi- 
ness or  recreation. 

The  present  day  demand  is  one  essentially  to  do  with 
time.  We  must  get  from  one  place  to  another  quickly,  and 
to  do  this  our  way  must  be  free  from  the  encumbrance  of 
congestion  and  excessive  grades.  If  our  forefathers  had 
only  had  the  wisdom  to  provide  a  certain  number  of  radials 
from  the  heart  of  the  town  to  the  City  Limits,  our  problem 
for  the  readjustment  of  our  street  system  would  have  been 
a  comparatively  easy  one.  But  consider  now  what  it  would 
cost  to  wipe  out  blocks  of  the  most  valuable  property  in 


CITY   P[.ANNIN(i  OF  DAVENPORT 


11 




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12  CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 

order  to  provide  these  radials!  So  let  us  very  seriously 
consider  the  costly  lesson  of  the  past,  and  be  almost  ex- 
travagantly liberal  in  providing  for  what  we  feel  will  in 
the  future  become  important  lines  of  travel.  There  can  be 
no  doubt  of  the  statement  that  Washington,  being  our  only 
city  of  importance  that  v.-as  built  upon  a  comprehensive 
plan,  is  the  only  one  with  an  adequate  system  of  thorough- 
fares. George  Washington,  as  a  surveyor  and  civil  engin- 
eer, recognized  the  value  of  proper  planning  for  the  Na- 
tional Capital,  when  he  employed  Major  L'Enfant,  a  young 
French  engineer,  to  prepare  a  plan.  It  is  acknowledged  to 
be  the  most  admirable  design,  with  its  system  of  diagonal 
avenues  radiating  from  small  parks. 

The  narrow  street  needs  little  comment.  They  are  just 
as  necessary  from  an  economic  standpoint  as  broad  sti'cets. 
We  cannot  all  afford  homics  fronting  on  boulevards,  nor  can 
we  all  have  places  for  earning  a  living  on  a  wide  business 
street.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  we  must  try  to  design  or 
rearrange  our  neighborhoods,  whether  residential  or  com- 
mercial, so  that  the  narrow  street  will  not  receive  more 
traffic  than  it  is  able  to  care  for. 

Davenport  has  everything  to  gain  by  making  itself  at- 
tractive. Not  only  does  a  good  looking  City  attract  busi- 
ness from  the  outside,  but  it  has  a  marked  moral  effect  on 
the  whole  citizen  body,  not  only  in  making  them  keep  their 
private  grounds  looking  better,  but  in  creating  in  them, 
through  a  pride  of  their  City,  a  better  citizenship  and  sense 
of  responsibility  for  the  care  of  the  City. 


STREETS. 

The  City's  streets  present  a  problem  of  the  first  magni- 
tude. How  few  realize  that  it  is  more  than  a  passage-way, 
more  than  a  common  street  where  the  children  play,  or 
through  which  the  milk  wagon  drives.  Few  realize  that  a 
street  system  might  be  so  poorly  constructed  as  to  abso- 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


13 


/I^^DDCCDD    "J I ir-||— It—^  □OODDCZlCqpOCIZICSC-^p/) 


>-^  y^<^i-^U'i_i\_ji iii\ II JULJ  I"'-  I iuui_ii_jLji_ji/<i — 1 

'*^'  ,ii_iL_'^.-  jacs    LJLLJijUuL;<iiLJi\<xgnnnnnnnf7n 


ORIGINAL  PLAN   WASHINGTON,   D.  C. 
By  Major  L'Enfant. 


14  CITY   PLANNING  FOR   ]:)AVF.NPORT 

lutely  prevent  development,  or  that,  on  the  other  hand,  a 
street  system  could  be  so  intelligently  designed  as  to  meet 
all  the  requirements  for  many  years  to  come. 

The  dominating  thought  is  the  bigness  of  the  subject, 
its  importance,  its  grip  on  the  urgent  things  or  life.  Ail 
the  currents  of  a  City's  life  flow  unceasingly  along  its  chan- 
nels. All  grades  of  society  are  affected  by  the  problems 
it  includes.  The  comfort  or  hardship  of  urban  existence, 
its  efficiency  or  failure,  are  vitally  influenced  by  the  wisdom 
or  thoughtlessness  with  which  the  streets  are  planned. 
Unless  streets  are  planned  for  the  convenience  and  comfort 
of  the  individual  home  owner,  and  to  facilitate  the  trans- 
action of  his  business,  they  have  failed  in  their  purpose. 

Reduced  to  its  essentials,  a  street  is  a  thoroughfare  for 
passing  from  one  place  to  another,  a  means  of  access  to 
buildings  and  grounds  facing  upon  them.  They  are  open 
spaces  to  admit  light  and  air  to  adjacent  buildings.  They 
provide  a  place  for  the  construction  of  sewers,  water-pipes, 
gas  mains,  steam  heating  mains  and  various  conduits — 
essentials  to  modern  city  development.  The  street  system 
is  the  framework  for  the  whole  City  structure. 

The  street  system  of  Davenport  represents  its  largest 
single  financial  investment,  with  $3,751,166.74  invested  in 
pavements  and  another  million  in  sidevvalks. 

In  the  Original  Town  of  Davenport,  the  area  occupied 
by  streets  and  alleys  was  equal  to  66%  of  the  area  of  build- 
ing lots,  or  40%  of  the  total  area  of  the  land  subdivided. 
Approximately  1510  acres,  or  27%  of  our  total  area,  is  laid 
out  in  streets  and  alleys.  It  is  very  important,  then,  that 
the  proper  width  of  streets  be  judicially  determined.  Ex- 
cessive street  widths  in  business  or  residential  districts, 
as  in  Salt  Lake  City,  mean  more  scattered  houses  and  a 
greater  distance  to  be  traveled  between  business  and  resi- 
dence districts,  with  a  corresponding  loss  in  time  ana 
money. 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


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RECOMMLNDEl)  STREET  W  IDTUS. 


16  CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 

STREET  STANDARDS. 

Streets  vary  greatly  as  to  the  percentage  of  the  total 
population  using  them,  and  can  be  classed  under  three 
heads : 

1.  Main  Traffic  Streets  are  streets  which  carry  great 
numbers  daily  and  hourly,  to  and  from  centers  of  business. 

2.  Secondary  Thoroughfares  are  the  ordinary  business 
streets. 

3.  Residential  Streets,  both  major  and  minor.  No  hard 
and  fixed  rule  can  be  established  as  to  the  proper  width  of 
any  one  of  them.  Recommended  widths  for  Davenport 
are  as  follows: 

Main  Thoroughfares  or  Trafficvvays. 

Double  street  car  tracks 20  feet 

4  lines  of  vehicles,  2  on  each  side  of  tracks,  9  feet 
each 36 

12  lines  of  pedestrians,  6  on  either  sidewalk,  2  feet 

each 24 

Total  80     " 

Secondary  Thoroughfares. 

Single  car  track   8  feet 

4  lines  of  vehicles,  2  on  either  side  of  track  @  8  ft. 

gj^cn ^^ 

8  ft.  sidewalks  and  2  ft.  grass  space  on  each  side.  .20 

Total   60     - 

Residential  Streets.     (Minor). 

3  lines  of  vehicles  @  8  f t 24  feet 

13  ft.  boulevard  on  each  side,  including  sidewalks .  .  26 

Total 50     '' 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


17 


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r3saggaBa8EDsaa3dBa^^or(ji 


Old  Plan  of  South  Philadelphia  showing  street  system  and  Railroad  lines  in 
1913.  New  Plan  shows  raised  jtieet  syste-ii  and  lelooatcd  K.  R.  l.incas  il- 
v'iscd  by  ordinance, Feb.  14,  1914. 


18  CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 

Proposed  Street  Plan  in  the  New  Territory. 

The  plan  for  the  streets  in  the  new  territory  is  recom- 
mended for  adoption  as  the  plan  to  be  conformed  to  in  the 
laying  out  or  condemning  of  new  streets. 

In  presenting  this  plan  for  the  proposed  location  of 
streets  in  the  unplatted  territory  within  the  proposed  City 
Limits  and  adjacent  thereto,  it  is  not  claimed  that  this 
sreet  system  will  fulfill  every  requirement  for  all  time  to 
come.  "City  Planning  is  never  finished."  No  one  man,  or 
group  of  men,  can  foresee  all  the  changes  that  are  apt  to 
take  place.  Cities  are  continually  outgrowing  the  plans 
that  were  designed  for  them  years  ago.  A  plan  that  is 
ample  for  present  day  needs  will  be  inadequate  in  the  near 
future.  Unforeseen  changes  will  take  place;  new  methods 
of  transportation  and  new  discoveries  will  materially  affect 
the  social  fife  of  the  community,  and  the  plan,  where  still 
susceptible  to  change,  will  be  modified  to  meet  the  nev.- 
conditions  as  they  arise. 

It  should  be  possible  to  make  amendments  to  the  plan 
as  proposed,  when  needed.  New  conditions,  now  unforeseen, 
may  arise  in  certain  sections,  which  will  make  it  advisable 
to  change  this  or  that  street,  and  where  the  change  is 
minor,  and  does  not  affect  or  disarrange  the  plan  as  a  whole, 
it  is  proper  that  such  change  should  be  made.  It  is  highly 
important,  however,  that  the  main  traffic  streets,  up  ra- 
vines, be  not  changed.  They  provide  easy  grades  for  traffic, 
and  make  possible  the  utmost  development  of  the  land  for 
residential  purposes.  By  placing  streets  in  ravines  there 
is  no  waste  in  the  subdivision  of  the  land  into  the  most 
desirable  lots  for  building  sites.  We  have  plenty  of  the 
results,  within  a  few  blocks  of  our  City  Hall,  of  the  total 
disregard  of  the  principles  as  outlined  above. 

According  to  the  principles  of  City  Planning,  the  main  or 
business  section  of  Davenport,  which  extends  six  blocks  back 
from  the  river,  was  well  planned.  Beyond  this,  the  streets 
were  continued  to  complete  the  checkerboard  system,  re- 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


19 


Map  of  the  older  i)art    of    London,    showing    tlic    lack    of   loniiiuinity    and 
directness  in  the  street  system. 


'VVffl[lS0UI[OmQ][myuUQ32DQ"«ds[Bsafi, 


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n    I     V    E    R  THAMES 


After  the  great  fire  of  1666  this  plan  was  prepared.     It  wa-^  con'-idercd  too 
ladiral  at  the  liiuc  Init  is  iio^'''  an  ackno'AJcdgcd   model. 


20  CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 

gardless  of  deep  gullies  or  hills.  Streets  were  cut  through 
at  a  great  expense,  making  it  extremely  expensive  to  fill 
up  the  ravines  for  building  sites,  and  today  we  have  over 
fifty  acres  of  this  unusable  property  in  the  heart  of  the 
City,  wholly  impossible  to  utilize,  except  at  a  prohibitive 
expense.  This  could  all  have  been  avoided  by  adjusting 
the  street  plan  to  fit  the  ground.  An  excellent  example  in 
our  City  of  the  application  of  the  correct  principles  of  City 
Planning  to  hilly  ground,  is  the  high-class  residential  sec- 
tion, known  as  "McClellan  Heights." 

There  are  several  large  draws,  or  ravines,  draining  froni 
the  north  to  Duck  Creek.  There  is  running  water  in  them 
practically  the  year  'round,  and  to  destroy  this  natural 
scenic  beauty  by  the  construction  of  large  and  costly  storm 
drains,  would  be  unwise.  Main  traffic  streets  are  proposed 
in  these  draws,  providing  easy  grades  for  all  vehicles,  and 
the  maximum  development  of  the  land  for  residential  pur- 
poses. 

One  of  the  prettiest  examples  of  this  type  of  develop- 
ment is  the  Country  Club  district  of  Kansas  City.  The 
creek  lies  to  one  side  of  the  paving,  and  is  spanned  by  small 
foot-bridges  for  pedestrians,  and  at  all  street  intersections 
by  artistic  concrete  or  stone  arch  bridges. 

The  General  City  Plan  at  the  back  shows  the  proposed 
plan  for  the  extension  of  the  street  system  through  the 
unplatted  territory  that  it  is  now  proposed  to  annex  to  the 
City  of  Davenport  at  the  regular  City  election  to  be  held 
April  6,  1918. 

The  laying  out  of  new  additions  in  this  territory  will 
then  be  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  City  Council,  and 
the  streets  through  any  proposed  addition  will  have  to 
coincide  with  the  streets  as  shown  on  the  General  City 
Plan  for  the  extension  and  development  of  the  streets.  The 
City  Council  can  then  demand  that  the  streets  and  alleys 
he  graded  to  the  established  grade  before  accepting  same. 
This  item  alone  will  save  the  City  hundreds  of  thousands 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 


21 


HILLCREST  AVE.,   McCLELLAN   HEIGHTS 
An  example  of  a  street  well  laid  out  to  fit  rough  topography. 


MlCLELLAN   boulevard,   MlCLKI.LAN    in'KJ  J  11^ 


22  CITY  PLANNING  FOR    DAVENPORT 

of  dollars,  where  previously  the  City  has  had  to  grade  the 
streets.  The  City,  however,  has  not  the  power  to  prevent 
a  land  owner  from  erecting  buildings  within  the  lines  of 
the  platted  but  unopened  streets.  The  power  to  plat  and 
thereby  hold  property  in  statu  quo,  is  essential  to  original 
platting  and  effective  City  Planning.  This  power  can  easily 
be  secured  by  State  constitutional  amendments,  as  is  now 
in  force  in  England,  in  some  of  the  provinces  of  Canada, 
and  in  Pennsylvania.  The  wording  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Act  of  1891,  which  has  been  repeatedly  upheld  by  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  Pennsylvania,  and  has  also  been  upheld  by 
the  United  States  District  Court,  can  readily  be  recast  in 
the  form  of  constitutional  amendments,  either  granting 
the  legislative  authority  to  confer  such  power  on  cities,  or 
giving  the  power  to  cities  directly.  The  Act  (Act  of  Penn- 
sylvania of  May  16,  1891,  Section  12,  P.  L.  79)  is  as  fol- 
lows : 

"Every  municipality  shall  have  a  general  plan  of  its 
streets  and  alleys,  including  those  which  have  been  or  may 
be  laid  out  but  not  opened;  which  plan  shall  ))e  filed  in  the 
office  of  the  engineer  or  other  proper  office  of  the  munici- 
pality, and  all  subdivisions  of  property  thereafter  made 
shall  conform  thereto.  No  streets  or  alleys,  or  parts  there 
of,  laid  out  and  confirmed,  shall  afterwards  be  altered  with- 
out the  consent  of  councils;  and  no  map  or  plot  of  streets 
or  alleys  shall  be  entered  or  recorded  in  any  public  office 
of  the  county  in  which  said  municipality  is  situated  until 
approved  bj^  councils.  No  person  shall  hereafter  be  entitled 
to  recover  any  damages  for  any  buildings  or  improvements 
of  any  kind  which  shall  or  may  be  placed  or  constructed 
upon  or  within  the  lines  of  any  located  street  or  alley,  after 
the  same  shall  have  been  located  or  ordained  by  councils.'' 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 


23 


•  tJADIAL-  H  IGHWAV5  • 
•LEtACIMG  •  IA1TO-  CAVtMPOOT- 

TO    •   ACCO^^PAnN      BtPOHT- 
CITY   PLAAin  inG  HODPAVEtMPODT- 

•Doacott.SAWlSTOWSKV-  ClT-*   EtMGI  htfrtrO.- 


24  CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 

Diagonal  Streets. 

The  ideal  City  Plan  is  not  unlike  a  cobweb  in  general 
appearances,  with  radiating-  avenues  leading  from  the  cen- 
ter of  town  to  the  outlying  districts,  and  a  system  of  cir- 
cumferential streets,  and  the  intervening  spaces  filled  with 
secondary  streets. 

The  most  admirable  design  for  a  city  is  that  made  for 
Washington  by  Major  L'Enfant  in  1791  at  the  request  of 
George  Washington,  and  while  it  was  ridiculed  at  the  time, 
it  has  long  been  acknowledged  to  be  a  magnificent  and 
inspiring  design,  worthy  of  the  Capital  of  a  great  nation. 
The  plan  is  too  well  known  to  need  a  description — the  sys- 
tem of  diagonal  avenues  radiating,  has  provided  small  parks 
and  sites  for  innumerable  monuments  and  great  buildings. 
The  plan,  as  a  whole,  would  not  do  for  anv  other  city,  but 
I  believe  all  cities  should  have  a  few  radial  streets.  The 
ground  plan  for  a  city  should  provide  for  radial  streets. 
Diagonal  streets  are  time  savers,  and  to  the  extent  thai 
they  save  time  in  transportation  of  people  and  merchan- 
dise, they  lengthen  the  lives  and  increase  the  profits  of 
the  people. 

Traffic  Way  Up  Goose  Hollow. 

Plans  and  estimates  for  a  traffic  way  up  one  of  the  deep 
ravines  have  been  prepared.  The  construction  of  this  diag- 
onal street  could  be  easily  accomplished  at  a  moderate  ex- 
pense. The  property  immediately  adjacent  to  this  ravine 
is  well  built  up,  but  fortunately  no  important  improvements 
have  l)een  made  in  this  ravine.  The  expense  of  cutting 
through  this  traffic  way  would  be  justified,  and  the  saving 
in  time  to  the  people  using  it,  would  soon  pay  for  it  if  we 
could  apply  that  method  of  paying  for  the  expenditure. 
The  distance  would  be  shortened  more  than  one-half  mile. 
(See  accompanying  plat) .  An  easy  gradient  would  be  pos- 
sible, not  exceeding  4%. 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


25 


^  cnan  nst=]  cz:  CD  cz]  ciD 


]D 


inn  ncJm  □  cd  □ 


II      I 


[ 


26  CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 

The  proposed  boulevard  or  traffic  way  up  Goose  Hollow, 
from  the  intersection  of  Eighth  and  Harrison  Sti-eets  to 
connect  with  Hickory  Grove  Road  at  the  intersection  oi 
Locust  and  Division  Streets,  would  be  an  immense  time 
saver. 

The  distance  between  these  two  points  being-  7600  feet, 
a  saving  of  2700  feet,  or  a  little  more  than  one-half  mile 
over  the  length  of  the  routes  now  necessary  to  follow  in 
going  from  the  one  point  to  the  other.  It  is  safe  to  esti- 
mate that  this  street  would  be  used  by  as  much,  if  not 
more,  traffic  than  Second  Street  is. 


Cost  and  Method  of  Procedure. 

The  City  Assessor's  valuation  of  the  property  to  be 
taken  for  this  street  is  $105,500.  Adding  50%  to  this  for 
undervaluation,  would  bring  the  damages  to  property  to 
$158,250.  Under  our  present  State  Laws  appraisers  would 
be  appointed  to  assess  damages  and  benefits  upon  street 
opening  for  the  specific  land  to  be  used  for  street  purposes. 
It  is  roughly  estimated  that  under  this  method  of  proced- 
ure, only  approximately  409^,  or  $63,000,  could  be  assessed 
upon  the  district  as  benefits,  and  the  balance  would  have 
to  be  borne  by  the  City. 

Now,  if  we  had  the  power  of  Excess  Condemnation,  the 
City  could  take  not  only  the  specific  strip  of  land  needed 
for  the  street  opening,  but  it  could  take  all  the  fragments 
of  lots  left;  also  adjoining  property,  such  as  is  necessary 
for  the  joining  together  of  the  fragments  of  lots  into  suit- 
able building  lots.  Then,  after  the  improvement  has  been 
made,  these  lots  can  be  sold  at  a  greatly  enhanced  value, 
due  to  their  frontage  on  this  main  traffic  street.  There 
is  no  question  but  what  the  City  would  break  even  on  the 
deal.  The  City  would  be  paying  a  fair  price  to  the  property 
owner,   and  then,   after  the  impi'ovement   was  completed, 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


27 


Unsightly  conditions  existing  where  houses  are  faced  on  the  alley 
Alley  between  Fifth  and   Sixth  Streets,   Scott  to  Ripley  Streets, 


House  facing  alley  in  \\'est  Davenport. 


28  CITY   PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 

the  City  would  reap  the  benefit  due  to  the  improvement, 
and  not  the  individual  property  owner. 

The  City  would  have  to  erect  three  bridges  of  80'  spans 
each,  to  carry  Gaines,  Brown  and  Warren  Streets  over  this 
proposed  traffic  way,  at  an  estimated  cost  of  $60,000. 


Size  of  Lots. 

It  is  highly  desirable  that  a  standard  niinmiurii  .size  of 
lots  be  adopted  for  residence  properties.  The  evils  arising 
from  the  platting  of  lots  20  and  25  feet  wide,  are  apparent 
at  a  glance.  Luckily,  the  several  additions  so  platted  have 
not  been  extensively  developed  as  j^et,  and  the  houses  al- 
ready erected  have  been  built  upon  two  or  more  of  these 
lots  combined.  If  this  practice  was  permitted  to  continue, 
and  the  price  of  the  lots  such  that  a  workingman  could 
not  afi'ord  to  buy  more  than  one  for  his  home,  conditions 
would  become  quite  congested.  The  development  would 
be  monotonous,  as  the  type  of  architecture  obtainable  on 
a  25-foot  lot  cannot  be  as  pleasing  as  that  on  a  wider  Ijuiid 
ing  site. 

The  street  will  be  most  attractive,  where  the  space 
between  houses  is  sufficient  to  give  plenty  of  light  and  air, 
and  provide  ample  room  for  simple  planting.  It  is  highly 
desirable,  therefore,  that  if  the  size  of  Icis  is  to  be  de- 
creased, it  should  be  done  by  shortening  tlie  depth  of  the 
lot  and  not  the  width. 

The  width  of  lot  should  not  be  less  than  45  feet,  and 
preferably  50  feet  or  more,  and  the  depth  not  less  than 
100  feet.  The  recommended  minimum  standard  size  for 
lots  is  50  feet  by  100  feet.  The  size  of  lots  in  the  "High- 
lands" addition  is  50x125.  This  is  a  splendid  type  of  de- 
velopment for  the  workingman's  homo.  Statistics  com- 
piled of  16  cities  from  various  parts  of  the  United  States 
show  that  the  size  of  lots  vary  all  the  way  from  15x50  feet, 
as  the  average  for  Philadelphia,  to  200x200  for  Syracuse. 
The  general  tendencies  for  most  of  the  cities  was  an  average 
lot  50x150. 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPOK  l" 


29 


f-OUQTM    ST. 


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PLAT 


BLOCK    BtrTWtE-n     3"-     &    'V"'^    ST5 
CE-DAQ      AHD      HOWtLL      ST  S 

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on   -TMt    atAR    OF-    U03S   l«   lltSlPfrMTlAV.    StCTlOM 


TO    ACCOA-IPAMV    QePOClT     TO     THt 
/^ANOa     AMP  THE-    tlTN    COUMCIL 

QobcoEr  t.   Samistowsk><  Citv    tnotncca 


30  CITY   PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 

Where  the  lots  are  too  long,  the  tendency  is  to  erect 
houses  on  the  rear  of  the  lot,  fronting-  on  the  alley.  We 
have  only  a  few  instances  of  this  practice  in  Davenport, 
but  as  the  property  value  increases,  the  property  owner  is 
tempted  to  increase  his  revenues  by  building  on  the  rear 
of  his  lot.  This,  no  doubt,  v/ill  become  a  serious  problem 
here,  as  it  has  elsewhere.  The  buildings  in  the  rear  tend 
toward  congestion  and  improper  building  conditions.  The 
only  remedy  is  to  make  the  lots  shorter,  so  that  the  amount 
of  money  invested  in  land  and  improvements  will  be  less. 
There  should  be  lots  available  for  the  workingman  who 
cannot  afford  to  buy  a  large  lot  to  l)uild  his  cottage  on. 

Plat  on  Page  29  shows  several  houses  built  on  the  rear 
of  the  lots  in  the  block  between  Cedar  and  Howell,  3d  and 
4th  Streets. 

The  building  of  a  cheaper  class  of  dwellings  on  the 
alleys  causes  an  unsanitary  condition  of  affairs  that  is  not 
only  prejudicial  to  the  physical,  but  to  the  moral  healtli 
of  localities  in  which  it  exists.  The  shortening  of  lots  will 
no  doubt  have  a  tendency  to  widen  them  without  unduly 
increasing  the  cost  of  the  land.  More  streets  for  frontage, 
combined  with  fewer  and  narrower  cross,  or  connecting, 
streets,  would  enable  the  land  owner  to  do  this  without  a 
burden  on  the  purchaser,  and  we  would  have  districts  that 
would  more  nearly  retain  their  value. 

Under  present  conditions,  where  a  block  has  been  built 
up,  we  invariably  find  the  same  uninviting  passages  which 
have  a  depressing  effect  on  property  values,  as  they  impel 
Lhe  residents  to  abandon  their  undesirable  houses  and  move 
out  into  newer  sections.  This  causes  great  economic  wa.ste, 
it  reduces  the  income  of  the  property  owner,  and  reduces 
the  City's  revenue  from  taxation,  and  svc  soon  h;Tve,  if  not 
a  slum,  at  Idst  a  most  uninviting  section  that  is  always 
retrogressing-. 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


31 


•TvpicAL  ■  e>us\nfcss  •  pistcict- 

•f-Oun.TH  ■  ST.- 


SeCOMO     5T 


TVPICAL    DtSlDtnTIAL-  BLOCK- 


•Al/-(SUIOaTM     ST 


•  pLAT^. 
•SHOWI/iG     ACEtAS     built-  UPOAT 

■  IMTHt-BLOCKS    IMTHC-    BUSl/ltSS  •  St-CTlOrt    APP  [}0»\M  A-lt- 

LV-aS-^  0»--TMt    LOTIS-  BO  I LT    upon-.    CJHILErlrl-IMfc-- 
•at  a  VDfc-MCt--  OISTtt\CTOMV.^ABO0TZO<^\6'»UlL-T-  UPOM.- 


32  CITY   PLANNINC;  FOR    DAVENPORT 

Limiting  the  Percentage  of  Lot  to  Be  Built  Upon. 

The  l^est  method  of  regulating  the  above  conditions 
would  be  to  limit  the  percentage  of  the  lot  the  residences 
are  to  cover,  as  is  done  elsewhere.  New  York  has  pi'ovided 
that  in  the  residential  sections  no  building  shall  cover  more 
than  thirty  per  cent  of  the  lot  from  a  point  eighteen  feet 
above  the  curb.  On  the  lower  level  it  may  cover  fifty  per 
cent  of  the  land  with  its  porches  and  extensions;  above 
that,  only  thirty  per  cent. 

The  houses  on  a  typical  residence  l)lock  in  Davenport, 
where  lots  are  45x150,  cover  approximately  only  20%  of 
the  lot  area.  In  our  business  district  the  buildings  occupy 
an  average  of  95  per  cent  of  the  lot  area,  as  shown  on 
Page  31. 

Building  Lines. 

We  need  a  law  enacted  giving  Davenport  power  to  es- 
tablish building  lines  on  streets.  There  are  several  thor- 
oughfares of  importance  in  Davenport  of  inadequate  width 
to  carry  the  inevitable  increase  in  traffic  that  will  come  in 
the  near  future.  While  it  is  undesirable  and  impracticable 
to  widen  such  streets  at  the  present  time,  it  is  highly  im- 
portant to  prevent  the  existing  open  space  adjacent  to  the 
street  from  being  oljstructcd  by  new  l)uildings. 

The  establishment  of  set-bnck  lines,  or  building  lines, 
as  it  is  more  commonly  known,  secures  a  uniform  set-back 
of  buildings  from  street  lines.  That  is,  the  owner  must 
locate  his  building  a  certain  number  of  feet  back  from  the 
street  line.  lie  may  use  this  front  of  his  lot  for  any  pur- 
pose he  may  wish,  but  he  cannot  ))uild  upon  it.  Some  of 
the  advantages  of  establishing  a  building,  or  set-back  line, 
are: 

In  a  private  residence  section  a  uniform  set-back  from 
the  street  line  increases  the  attractiveness  of  the  section 
and  adds  to  the  health  and  comfort  of  the  inhabitants.    It 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


33 


PWtLLI  AHGHOUat  •  STAGt- 


j---2o'-;-j;-aH —  2■^■-- 


•APARTntMl   MOUSE:    STAG  Er- 


j-'>-J...,o:l5-r.  ..30.-- 


•  BUS  I/HE-S5 -STAGt  • 


TM^  PtVtLGPE-A1tAiT•FDGAl• 
A    50 -f^T    QtSIPtAICEr   ■  STDfrE-T- 
TG  A  90-f-~(BUS\A^l'S3  ■  5TC  C- tT• 
U)^THGUT■tXP^A^St•-T0THL  -CITY- 
F-GD-  STCE-tTWlD  t/MI/MG■THDOUCH• 
-y^^p.^STABLISWI/^G•OF-  DUILPI/^G•Ll^^E-■ 


34  CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 

improves  light  and  air  conditions ;  makes  possible  the  front 
lawn  with  trees  and  shade;  removes  the  dwelling  further 
from  the  noise,  fumes  and  dust  of  the  street. 

Where  residences  are  uniformly  set  back  from  the  street 
without  the  establishment  of  a  legally  binding  building 
line,  each  owner  is  at  the  mercy  of  his  neighbors.  A  vol- 
untary building  line  of  this  kind  is  often  worse  than  no 
building  line  at  all.  A  single  owner,  by  disregarding  the 
building  line  may  ruin  the  entire  block.  It  is  important 
that  the  building  line  be  established  by  ordinance. 

This  may  not  be  the  same  on  every  street,  its  distance 
from  the  street  line  depending  on  the  character  of  the 
neighborhood,  the  depth  of  the  lots  and  class  of  buildings. 
A  study  should  be  made  of  the  ultimate  probable  class  of 
buildings  in  each  block  or  district. 

Blocks  which  are  destined  to  be  used  for  business  should 
have  no  building  line  restrictions.  Other  blocks  which  are 
now  residential,  and  where  it  is  desirable  to  preserve  the 
present  uniform  set-back,  or  building  line,  should  be  so 
established  by  ordinance. 

Local  residence  streets  having  a  building  line  can  be 
permitted  a  narrower  width  than  could  otherwise  be  al- 
lowed. This  reduces  development  expenses,  not  only  in  its 
economy  of  land,  but  more  markedly  in  the  decreased  out- 
lay for  paving.  With  a  10-foot  set-back,  a  standard  60-foot 
street  might  be  reduced  to  40  feet.  This  might  be  adequate 
for  streets  under  800  feet  in  length  if  developed  with  single 
family  houses.  If,  later,  the  single  family  houses  were 
replaced  by  three  or  four-story  apartments,  the  street  could 
easily  be  widened  to  60  feet  to  meet  the  increased  traffic 
requirements  caused  by  the  more  intensive  housing. 

Th  existence  of  the  building  line  will  permit  the  eco- 
nomical widening  of  traffic  arteries  whenever  traffic  needs 
require.  It  introduces  a  measure  of  adaptation  and  elastic- 
ity in  ^iirect  de,yigi]  that  io  of  immense  importance  in  view 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


35 


•PwfrLLI/HG  HOU5tST^Gt- 


=^7.^ 


APADTMe-MT-  HGUS  t  STAG  t  • 


IM 


TT 


o  o 


BOSIAitrSS  STAGt- 


2JJ- 


THfcPtV  EtL  GP£-/^b/iT-PDOM- 
■A-  60-F-T-  C  ErSlPErMCfc     STQE-tT- 
•TGA-lOO-f-lBUSlyMtSS-  5TDeE-T- 
•W  ITHGUTErXP  t/MSE-  TGTHErClTY- 
•P0a-3TD.E-E-T- WlDt/HlMG-  THBGUGH- 
•THt-E-STABLlSHIMGO?-BUILPIHGLIHt- 


36  CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 

of  the  almost  prohibitive  expense  of  widening  a  street  once 
laid  out  and  improved. 

The  establishing  of  the  building  line  now  is  the  only 
practical  method  by  which  the  widening  of  many  traffic  ar- 
teries can  be  secured  in  the  future  when  greater  width  vvill 
assuredly  be  required.  These  arteries  are  now  i-esidence 
streets.  When,  however,  traffic  has  so  increased  that  the 
street  must  be  widened,  it  is  more  than  likely  that  the 
street  v;ill  no  longer  be  desirable  for  private  residence  pur- 
poses and  the  private  dwellings  will  be  replaced  either  by 
apartments  or  by  business  buildings. 

For  example:  It  is  recognized  that  the  ultimate  widen- 
ing of  Brady  Street  will  be  a  necessity,  from  Eighth  Street 
to  the  city  limits.  Brady  Street  is  80  feet  wide  up  to  Eighth 
Street,  narrowing  from  70  feet  wide  at  the  north  side  of 
Eighth  Street,  to  47  feet  at  Pleasant  Street.  The  time  is 
coming  when  the  increased  traffic  will  necessitate  a  wider 
street,  and  if  buildings  are  permitted  to  be  erected  on  the 
present  street  line,  the  cost  of  widening  the  street  at  that 
time  will  be  well  nigh  prohibitive.  Steps  should  be  taken 
now  to  insure  for  the  future  the  widening,  at  the  least  ex- 
pense, ])y  establishing  a  building  line  of  at  least  20  feet,  be- 
yond which  no  new  Ijuildings  should  be  allowed  to  extend. 

The  few  buildings  that  are  now  l)uilt  out  to  the  street 
line,  when  they  are  replaced  or  reconstructed  in  the  future, 
.  would  also  be  required  to  be  set  back  to  the  established 
building  line.  In  this  way,  the  expense  to  the  City  would 
be  at  a  minimum  and  the  widening  made  possible,  whereas, 
if  valuable  and  expensive  buildings  are  allowed  to  be  built 
fliish  with  the  present  street  lines  it  would  be  prohibitive 
and  practically  impossible  to  widen  the  street. 

If  there  was  an  objection  to  a  wholesale  establishing  of 
a  building  line  all  over  the  City,  the  property  owners  on  a 
street,  wishing  to  protect  themselves,  could  bring  in  a  peti- 
tion asking  for  the  establishing  of  a  building  line  on  their 
street,  and  in  that  way  the  City  government  would  not  l)c 


I 


r' 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


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31 


DtCOAIMErHDATlGH-  F-GQ.-  fc  STABLI  SH  IMG  GF 
DUlLPIA1GGI2SE-TE>ACK-LI/ME-S-GAiSTDE-L-T3 

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(^ITV-PLA/iAil/IG    •^a-"'     pAVtnPOCLJ^ 


38  CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 

taking  away  what  might  l)e  considered  by  some  as  their 
rights  and  privileges. 

The  council  should  estaV)lish  a  building  line  on  the  more 
important  thoroughfares,  regardless  of  the  sentiment  of 
the  property  owners,  where  it  is  necessary  for  the  future 
widening  of  the  street  when  tlie  traffic  so  demands,  or  when 
it  is  deemed  necessary  to  preserve  the  attractiveness  of  a 
street  for  the  good  of  the  City  as  a  whole. 

A  proposed  law  to  be  passed  by  the  State  Legislature, 
authorizing  the  establishment  of  l)uilding  lines,  is  shown  in 
the  appendix. 


DISTRICTING  OR  ZONING. 

The  advantages  derived  from  a  reasonable  districting  of 
the  City  are  many.  Every  citizen  of  Davenport  would  gam 
in  health,  comfort  and  convenience,  and  have  the  perman- 
ency of  his  home  protected,  and,  if  his  business  or  factory 
is  located  here,  he  can  be  more  sure  of  the  value  of  his 
property,  if,  as  it  is  legally  possible,  by  securing  enactment 
of  proper  laws  by  the  State  Legislature,  the  City  were  ]-ea- 
sonably  divided  up  into  lestricted  building  districts.  Prop- 
erty values  would  be  conserved,  and  the  City's  revenue  from 
taxation  would  not  decrease  in  certain  areas,  as  has  been 
the  case  here  in  Davnport,  where  the  property  values  in  a 
residential  section  have  been  destroyed  by  the  intrusion  of 
business  establishments. 

"Generally  speaking,  a  building  is  appropriately  located 
when  it  is  in  a  section  surrounded  by  buildings  of  similar 
type  and  use.  The  maximum  land  values  and  the  maximum 
rentals  are  obtained  where  this  segregation  and  uniformity 
are  most  complete."  Reasonable  districting  is  essential  to 
the  proper  development  of  Davenport,  and  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  property  owners  and  citizens  who  have  a  right 
to  demand  thai;  adeciuate  light,  area  and  occupancy  regu- 
lations be  imposed  throughout  the  City. 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


39 


Property  \alues  destroyed  by  the  projection  of  a  building 
bevond  the  natural  hui'ding  line. 


Residential  i)r(ii)citv  \  alues  dc^tioycd  by  the  cir  K-;;ard  ottiie   natural 
building  line  in  a  block. 


40  CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 

Berkeley,  California,  has  recently  passed  a  Districting 
Ordinance,  creating  a  basis  of  classification  by  means  of 
which  the  City  of  Berkeley  may  be  divided  into  districts 
within  some  of  which  it  shall  be  lawful,  and  within  others 
of  which  it  shall  be  unlawful  to  erect,  construct  or  main- 
tain certain  buildings,  or  to  carry  on  certain  trades  or  call- 
ings. There  are  twenty-seven  different  classifications  of 
buildings  and  industrial  districts  defined. 

The  last  General  Assembly  of  Iowa  enacted  a  law  giving 
cities  of  the  third  class  authority  to  establish  a  restricted 
residence  distjict  upon  petition  of  60  9r  of  the  property 
owners  residing  in  said  district.  Advantage  of  this  Act 
was  taken  ni  Davenport  recerjtly,  when  an  Oil  Company 
was  contemplating  erecting  an  automobile  filling  station  on 
one  of  our  main  residence  streets.  Upon  advice,  the  prop- 
erty owners  petitioned  that  their  street  be  established  as  a 
restricted  I'esidence  district.  This  was  done  much  to  the 
consternation  of  the  Oil  Company, 

At  any  time,  if  the  growth  of  the  City  should  demarid 
it  for  business  purposes,  the  district,  upon  petition  of  60% 
of  the  property  owners,  can  have  the  restiictions  set  aside. 
A  copy  of  the  Act  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix.  The  ap- 
pendix also  contains  a  copy  of  the  Laws  of  New  York  au- 
thorizing the  districting  and  zoning  of  cities. 


Subdivision  of  Land. 

The  subdivision  of  land  into  streets  and  building  lots 
presents  the  greatest  problem  of  the  subdivider.  Certain 
principles  must  be  followed  to  obtain  the  most  desiraiDlo 
lots  for  building  sites.  The  lightest  grades  for  traffic,  as 
well  as  directness  are  the  essentials  governing  the  street 
lay-outs.  Subdividers  are  united  in  preferring  lots  with 
east  and  west  fronts,  in  preference  to  north  and  south 
fronts. 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 


41 


^T^h-^^ffi^ 


nrfnrifr 


irl| 


MAP  OF  PORTION   OF  NFAV  YORK 

Sliowing  Building  Restrictions. 


42  CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 

The  g'leater  number  of  streets  should  lead  toward  the 
heart  of  the  City  and  not  crossways.  This  big  mistake  was 
made  in  laying  out  New  York.  The  greater  numl^er  of 
streets  were  run  east  and  ^^est,  assuming  that  the  greatest 
ti'aflic  would  be  from  liver  to  river,  whei'eas  the  opposite 
has  happened,  most  of  the  traffic  being  north  and  south. 

Another  important  piinciple  that  should  govern  a  street 
lay-out  in  hilly  topography,  is  to  run  streets  wherever  pos- 
sible, at  right  angles  to  the  contours  of  the  land  and  not 
parallel  with  the  contours.  A  street  run  parallel  with  the 
contours  along  the  side  of  tiie  hill,  gives  poor  building'  sites, 
one  side  being  \^ay  up  in  the  air,  and  the  other  side  con- 
siderably lower  than  the  street.  The  most  appropriate 
lay-out  for  streets  is  where  they  run  at  right  angles  to  tiie 
contours  of  the  land.  The  lots  on  each  side  will  be  approx- 
imately the  same  elevation,  in  reference  to  the  street,  and 
with  a  little  leveling  they  provide  very  desirable  building 
sites,  each  house  being  a  little  higher  than  its  neighbor,  and 
separated  bj'  terraces,  as  they  go  up  the  hill. 

In  planning  the  location  for  the  streets  in  the  unplatted 
territory  to  be  annexed,  the  foregoing  has  been  kept  in 
mind.  The  great  majority  of  the  lots  will  have  east  and 
west  fronts.  The  north  and  south  streets,  leading  towards 
town,  are  planned  to  be  more  +'iequent,  as  they  will  ))e  the 
line  of  maximum  travel,  and  the  east  and  west  streets, 
being  spaced  farther  apart,  not  to  exceed  660  feet,  or  eight 
blocks  to  the  mile.  Where  possible,  the  streets  running 
nortli  and  south  have  been  spaced  16  to  the  mile,  which  will 
give  a  block  standard  of  270  feet  by  600  feet,  which,  with 
a  20  foot  alley  through  the  center  longitudinally,  will  give 
a  lot  depth  of  125  feet,  a  very  desirable  depth  for  a  lot. 

Existing  streets  and  rough  topography  w^ere  also  con- 
trolling points,  to  a  considerable  extent,  in  planning  tiie 
proposed  lay-out  for  the  streets  in  this  unplatted  section. 


CITY   PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 


43 


ARGUnt/^Tf-Oy^'LOCATI/IG  St-UtR^- 
CJATtR- AMD•G^5•A1/\lA1<5■\n•THt•^L\-t^<5■ 
■lA15TtAD  Of-\AtTHt-6TRttT^- 

THEr    P\STArtCt   F-OOM  THE- RtAQ    Of-  THt  AVE-Q^Gt   HOUSfc   TO    THt 
CtMTE-D  LIMfc- Of^  ALLfcV    l«  THt  BIG  /iAJOCITV   OF  CA3Er3   Btl/iG 
SHOCTfe-Q   THAM  TO  THt    CtHTfc-n   HMEr  OF  STDttT. 

THt  COST  OFCOrlMErCTIOrt  WOULD   THE-OtFORtr  Bt  COAISID&B- 
ABU^  L  t  S  3  . 


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c  >  TV  e/Hdi/itm's  o^nct 


44  CITY   PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 

Hickory  Grove  Road. 

This  street  should  be  widened  to  100  feet  and  parked 
with  a  boulevard  in  the  center,  similar  to  Kirkwood  Boule- 
vard, +jom  Duck  Creek  to  Locust  Street,  to  connect  with 
proposed  Traltlc  Way,  running  through  Goose  Hollow  to 
8th  and  Harrison  Streets. 


Kirkwood  Boulevard. 

Kirkwood  Boulevard  comes  to  an  abrupt  ending-  at  Brady 
Street.  This  should  be  extended  straight  through  to  con- 
nect with  Sixteenth  Street,  west  of  Harrison  Street.  (See 
illustration  on  Page  45. 

If  the  City  had  the  power  of  excess  condemnation  this 
project  would  be  perfectly  feasi})le  as  well  as  profital^le  for 
the  City  of  Davenport.  Under  our  present  statutes,  the 
improvement  would  cost  the  City  thousands  of  dollars, 
whereas  if  we  had  the  proper  laws,  the  City  would  have  the 
power  to  obtain  possession  of  all  the  property  for  one-half 
block  either  way,  at  the  present  value  of  the  property. 
They  could  then  proceed  to  make  the  improvement,  move 
the  houses  around  to  front  on  the  new  boulevard,  and  sell 
them  at  a  greatly  enhanced  value,  due  to  the  extension  ot 
the  boulevard.  This  w^ould  then  give  a  direct  drive  through 
what  would  be  a  high-class  residential  section,  from  Mar- 
quette Street  to  Fulton  Avenue  and  Jersey  Ridge  Road,  a 
distance  of  21/^  miles. 

In  the  improvement  of  Kirkwood  Boulevard,  the  oppor- 
tunity for  obtaining  one  of  the  finest  drives  in  this  City  is 
presented. 

Kirkwood  Boulevard,  as  now  laid  out,  extends  from 
Bradj^  Street  to  Jersey  Ridge  Road,  a  distance  of  8,0B0  feet, 
or  1  7-10  miles.  Less  than  one-half  of  this  street  is  im- 
proved. The  portion  from  Bridge  Avenue  to  Jersey  Ridge 
Road,  a  distance  of  4,600  feet,  is  unimproved.    From  Brady 


CITY  PLANNINCJ  FOR   DAVENPORT 


45 


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46  CITY  PLANNING  FOR    DAVENPORT 

Street  to  Bridge  Avenue,  Kirkwood  Boulevard  is  100  feet 
wide  from  property  line  to  property  line.  The  parking-  in 
the  center  of  the  street  is  20  feet  wide,  with  a  strip  of  brick 
paving-  20  feet  wide  on  either  side,  leaving  a  distance  of  20 
feet  from  curb  line  to  property  line.  The  sidewalks  are 
located  two  feet  from  the  property  line,  leaving-  a  wide 
boulevard  for  planting  between  the  walk  and  curb. 

It  is  proposed  that  the  same  section  (See  illustration 
on  Page  49),  as  now  constructed,  be  extended  through  to 
Jersey  Ridge  Road.  This  will  necessitate  widening-  Kirk- 
wood Boulevard,  which  is  now  platted,  80  feet  wide  from 
Bridge  Avenue  to  Eastern  Avenue,  by  acquiring-  approxi- 
mately 10  feet  on  either  side  to  make  it  a  width  of  100 
feet.  At  all  angles,  curves  of  ample  proportion  should  be 
used.  It  is  understood  that  the  property  owners  on  both 
sides  are  willing  to  deed  the  City  this  10-foot  strip,  or 
whatever  is  necessary  on  either  side,  to  properly  widen 
the  boulevard  to  100  feet.  Parcels  shaded  should  be  ac- 
quired by  the  City  as  soon  as  possible,  before  costly  im- 
provements are  made,  and  before  the  land  increases  in 
value.  To  bring  this  street  to  g-rade  ready  for  paving  wiil 
require,  approximately,  62,200  cubic  yards  of  filling-. 

The  estimated  cost  of  paving  Kirkwood  Boulevard  Is 
$59,166.30,  to  be  either  assessed  according  to  our  present 
method  of  distributing  the  cost  over  abutting  property  and 
non-abutting  property  not  exceeding  300  feet,  or  by  creat- 
ing- a  special  improvement  district  to  cover  an  area  extend- 
ing from  Fulton  Avenue  to  Locust  Street.  In  Des  Moines 
recently,  the  Courts  upheld  the  action  of  the  City  in  estab- 
lishing an  assessment  district  for  the  opening  of  a  new- 
boulevard  similar  to  Kirkwood  Boulevard. 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


47 


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BOULEVARD  IN    McCLEF.LAN    Ill'-ICHTS 


48  CITY  PLANNING  FOR    DAVENPORT 

RECAPITULATION  COST  TO  CITY. 

62,200  cubic  yards  filling-  @  30c $18,660.00 

Acquiring-  property    by    condemnation    between 

Christie  St.  and  Jersey  Ridge  road 13,270.00 

Cement   sidewalk   intersections 432.00 

Total  cost  to  City $32,362.00 

Cost  to  Property  Owners. 

Paving    $59,166.30 

Planting  trees,  etc 1,000.00 

Sidewalks    4,800.00 

Total  cost  to  property  owners 64,966.30 

Total  cost  of  impi'ovement 97,328.30 

At  present,  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad 
crosses  Kirkwood  Boulevard  with  a  wooden  trestle  96  feet 
long.  The  proposed  grade  for  Kirkwood  Boulevard  will  al- 
low ample  clearance  below  the  present  railroad  grade,  which 
will  not  need  to  be  disturbed. 

Illustration  on  page  49  shows  a  suggested  treatment  of 
the  proposed  fifty  foot  girder  spans  as  flat  concrete  arches. 
When  the  time  comes,  the  City  should  require  that  the  de- 
sign and  length  of  spans  should  be  essentially  as  shown  on 
plan.  A  series  of  shorter  spans  would  greatly  obstruct  the 
view  aiound  the  curve  which  starts  on  the  east  side  of  the 
railroad. 

Illustration  on  page  47  shows  the  proposed  location  of 
Kirkwood  Boulevard  from  Christie  Street  to  Jersey  Ridge 
Road  and  the  properties  to  be  condemned. 

The  Assessor's  assessed  values  of  the  properties  abut- 
ting along  the  proposed  improvement  of  Kirkwood  Boule- 
vard show  a  total  of  $120,160  present  assessed  value,  from 
Vv'hich  the  City  receives  taxes  on  fifty  per  cent,  which  would 
be,  approximately,  $1,200.00  per  year  taxes.     A  conserve- 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAXENI'ORT 


44 


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50  CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 

tive  estimate  of  the  enhanced  value  of  these  properties 
after  improvement  would  mean  an  additional  revenue  to 
the  City  in  taxes  of  not  less  than  $6,000.00,  and  this  per- 
tains only  to  the  enhanced  value  of  property  aljutting, 
whereas  such  an  improvement  would  enhance  value  of  ail 
property,  more  or  less,  confined  within  the  area  from  Fulton 
Avenue  on  the  south,  to  Locust  Street  on  the  north;  from 
Bridge  Avenue  on  the  west  to  Jersey  Ridge  Road  on  the 
east. 

It  is  reasonable  to  assume  that  within  a  period  of  not 
to  exceed  ten  years,  properties  within  said  area  would  be 
improved  and  developed  and  would  increase  in  value  bO 
that  the  City  should  be  receivmg  in  revenue  $10,000  per 
year  in  taxes. 

As  shown  in  report,  the  approximate  cost  to  the  City 
for  improvement  outlined  is,  approximately,  $32,000,  and 
by  investment  of  this  amount  as  shown  by  report,  the  City, 
by  receiving  the  increased  revenue  derived  from  such  im- 
provement  would  be  reimbursed  for  same  in  a  short  period 
of  years,  as  well  as  the  l^eautifying  and  improving  of  a 
lai'ge  area  of  territory. 


Miller  Avenue. 

This  street  opening  from  High  to  Henry  Streets  is 
badly  needed  in  this  section,  and  since  the  property  is  not 
built  up  and  only  one  small  house  in  the  road,  tiie  cost  to 
the  City  would  not  be  large  at  this  time,  whereas  such 
might  not  be  the  case  aftei-  buildings  are  built  along  the 
land  to  be  taken. 


Apportionment  of  Assessments  for  Street  Openings. 

The  proportion  (»i'  cost  in  any  street  widening  or  exten- 
sion, which  should  be  borne  by  the  City  and  by  the  prop- 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


51 


52  CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 

erty  owners,  differs  according  to  individual  improvements. 
The  following  is  from  a  paper  by  Nelson  P.  Lewis,  chief  en- 
gineer of  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment  of 
New  York  City. 

"We  must  determine  to  what  extent  the  benefit  will  be 
strictly  local,  m  what  degree  it  will  extend  to  a  larger  trib- 
utary^ area,  and  again,  how  much  it  will  mean  to  the  entire 
city  or  metropolitan  district.  In  the  case  of  residential 
stieets,  the  puipose  of  which  is  to  give  light,  air  and  access 
to  the  developments  located  upon  them,  the  benefit  will  be 
entirely  local,  and  the  entire  cost  can  properly  be  imposed 
upon  the  abutting  property.  When  a  highway  is  given  a 
more  generous  width  in  the  expectation  that  it  will  be  called 
upon  to  accommodate  a  certam  amount  of  through  traffic, 
the  l:)enefit  is  more  extended  and  the  assessment  in  such 
a  case  may  be  prolonged  to  a  line  midway  between  it  and 
the  next  street  or  more  than  residential  width.  The  major 
part  of  the  cost,  however,  should  be  confined  to  the  abut- 
ting property,  so  that  the  cost  to  it  should  be  somewhat 
more  than  that  of  the  narro\\er  streets.  In  the  case  of 
arterial  thoroughfares,  or  in  that  of  the  first  street  to  be 
opened  through  an  undeveloped  territory,  the  effect  of 
which  will  be  to  give  access  to,  and  to  stimulate  the  devel- 
opment of  a  large  area,  the  district  of  benefit  will  be  corres- 
pondingly enlarged.  Again,  in  the  case  of  thoroughfares 
of  exceptional  width,  ^^'hich  it  is  proposed  to  treat  as  boule- 
vards, the  entire  city  or  metropolitan  district  will  be  sub- 
stantially benefited  and  should  bear  a  proportion  of  the 
expense.  In  fact,  the  State  itself  may  derive  an  advantage 
\\hich  would  justify  its  assumption  of  a  portion  of  the 
cost,  but  the  disposition  to  recognize  such  an  obligation 
on  the  part  of  the  Commonwealth  is  exceedingly  rare,  even 
though  a  great  city  within  its  limits  may,  through  its  large 
taxable  values,  contribute  the  larger  part  of  the  State's 
revenues  by  which  its  rural  liighway  system  is  maintained. 

In  the  case  of  parko,  thiu  ^amc  principle  might  be  ap- 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


53 


niGM 


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PLAT- 


HI  LLtRAVBhUt' 

FROM 

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ROSCOtr-    t    SAWISTOWSKY- 


CITY      fc-nAiMt-tn- 


54  CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 

plied.  Some  small  parks  are  of  strictly  local  benefit,  and 
their  cost  could  properly  be  placed  upon  the  district  m 
which  they  are  located. 

In  the  case  of  street  widening  or  the  cutting-  through 
of  new  streets,  the  local  advantage  is  less  marked,  though 
it  will  always  follow.  The  mere  fact  that  a  widening  or 
extension  is  required  to  accommodate  traffic  is  conclusive 
evidence  that  the  street  has  assumed  more  than  local  im- 
portance. The  width  of  the  roadway  as  widened  is  not  an 
index  of  its  local  or  general  importance.  There  may  be 
cases  where  the  opening  of  a  new  street  of  a  width  com- 
monly given  to  local  streets  and  extending  for  a  very  short 
distance  would,  on  account  of  its  strategic  position,  l)e  of 
very  great  general  and  of  little  local  benefit." 


EXCESS  CONDEMNATION. 

Davenport  needs  badly  the  power  of  "Excess  Condem- 
nation." This  would  require  an  amendment  to  the  State 
Constitution  and  the  passage  of  proper  laws  by  the  State 
Legislature  giving  cities  and  towns  the  power  of  "Excess 
Condemnation." 

At  present  we  are  limited  in  opening  or  widening  any 
street  or  boulevard  to  the  precise  land  needed  for  the  spe- 
cific public  improvement.  "Excess  Condemnation"  is  the 
taking  of  more  land  than  is  needed  for  a  public  improve- 
ment and  later  the  surplusage  sold  at  a  profit,  due  to  the 
increased  value  of  the  land  al)utting  on  the  improvement. 

In  the  opening  or  widening  of  streets  there  are  more 
or  less  small  tracts,  or  I'emnants  left,  many  of  them  of  such 
shape  and  size  as  to  be  entirely  unsuited  for  the  erection 
of  proper  buildings  unless,  and  until,  these  remnants  hare 
been  united  with  the  adjoining  properties,  generally  with 
those  in  the  rear,  which  are  thus  enabled  to  extend  out  to 
the  new  line.     This  re-arrangement  is  seldom  ell'ected,  due 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT  55 

to  the  conflicting-  interests  of  the  property  owners.  It  is 
often  difficult  to  assess  many  of  these  irregular  lots,  or 
remnants,  for  benefits,  though  they  often  sell  for  more 
than  the  original  value  of  the  lot. 

*  "Excess  condemnation  is  the  acquisition  through  con- 
demnation proceedings  by  the  governing  agency,  for  ex- 
ample, a  city,  of  more  land  than  is  actually  needed  for  a 
public  improvement,  such  as  boulevard,  park,  street  or 
playground,  in  order  to  meet  the  expense  of  this  improve- 
ment later  bj^  the  sale  or  lease  of  the  surplus.  The  taking 
of  too  great  a  surplus  of  abutting  land  or  property  is  pro- 
hibited and  the  subsequent  re-sale  or  lease  of  such  parts 
as  are  not  needed  is  carefully  guarded  by  restrictions  for 
the  protection  of  the  improvement,  such  as  regulations  de- 
fining the  size  and  shape  of  lots  to  be  re-platted  and  the 
type  of  buildings  to  be  erected  thereon. 

This  purpose,  for  which  the  city  claims  the  land  named 
is  needed,  must  be  one  which  will  manifestly  promote  the 
convenience,  health,  prosperity  and  general  welfare  of  the 
whole  community,  in  the  long  run.  The  demand  must  not 
be  made  to  serve  the  interests  of  a  special  section  or  a  spe- 
cial class.  It  must  be  plainly  based  on  the  public  welfare, 
interpreting  that  phrase  in  the  light  of  the  conditions  of 
community  life  at  the  time. 

By  the  application  of  the  principle  of  excess  condemna- 
tion, owners  whose  property  is  condemned  receive  full  value 
for  their  property  at  the  time  of  condemnation,  but  not  the 
improved  value.  The  latter,  representing  a  normal  increase 
on  an  investment  of  the  entire  city,  accrues  to  the  city,  thus 
frequently  relieving  the  taxpayer  from  any  assessment  for 
the  impi'ovement. 

Excess  condemnation  not  only  enables  the  city  to  make 
improvements,  such  as  opening  new  streets,  at  practically 
no  expense  to  the  taxpayer,  it  also  insures  the  success  of 

*City  Planning  for  Newark. 


56  CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 

the  improvement  by  the  proper  treatment  of  the  abutting- 
property.  Instead  of  a  medley  of  handsome  residences, 
ramshackle  tenements  and  unsightly  stores  fronting  a  beau 
tiful  boulevard,  there  are  buildings  which,  by  their  corres- 
pondence with  the  whole  scheme,  ensure  its  natural  devel- 
opment and  permanence.  In  other  words,  under  excess 
condemnation,  the  improvement  is  treated  as  a  unit,  not 
as  an  accident. 

Excess  condemnation  implies,  therefore,  the  city's  right 
to  profit  by  its  own  investments  in  preference  to  its  exploit  ■ 
ation  by  a  few  individuals ;  permanent  l^enefit  to  the  entire 
commiunity  with  injustice  to  none;  utilization  of  small  and 
irregular  plats  which  otherwise  cannot  be  successfully 
treated;  the  development  of  the  improvement  as  a  unit 
instead  of  as  a  series  of  unrelated  accidents.  Excess  con- 
demnation is  the  first  and  essential  step  in  city  planning, 
and  the  sine  qua  non  of  its  success. 

In  Europe  excess  condemnation  has  had  a  long  history. 
By  the  application  of  this  principle,  Paris  built  the  Avenue 
de  L"Opera,  Vienna  the  Ringstrasse,  and  London  has  car- 
ried through  a  long  series  of  street  improvements  dating 
from  the  completion  of  Garrick  Street  in  1861,  when  72 9^ 
was  realized  through  the  sale  of  surplus  land,  to  the  present 
time.  The  most  notal^le  of  these  achievements  was  the 
completion  of  the  Kingsway  in  1905.  This  magnificent 
highway,  cutting  through  some  of  London's  most  cor.- 
gested  districts,  connects  North  and  South  London  through 
the  great  commercial  centers  of  Holborn  and  the  Strand. 
It  was  evolved  from  a  "chaos  of  rookeries,"  at  a  cost  of 
over  $25,000,000,  and  is  likel>-  to  involve  no  financial  burden 
whatever  to  the  taxpayers,  according  to  the  statement  of 
the  London  County  Council.  This  is  particularly  significarxt 
as  it  involved  the  expense  of  re-housing  a  large  number  oi:' 
people  of  the  laboring  class. 

This  policy  of  realizing  at  least  a  part  of  the  cost  of  the 
improvement  from  the  sale  of  surplusage  is  known  as  "re- 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT  57 

coupment."  In  all  the  street  improvements  initiated  by 
the  London  Council,  a  varying-  per  cent  of  the  cost  has  been 
met  by  the  application  of  this  principle.  In  one  instance, 
the  improvement  of  Northumberland  Avenue  completed  in 
1876,  the  city  made  an  actual  profit  of  nearly  $600,000  over 
the  cost  of  land  and  improvement. 

New  York,  Massachusetts,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Ohio 
and  Virginia  have  statutes  permitting  the  exercise  of  this 
power.  Hartford  has  incorporated  a  clause  in  her  new 
charter  authorizing  the  practice.  In  Wisconsin,  cities  of 
the  first  class  have  the  right  to  purchase  excess  land,  but 
not  to  acquire  it  by  condemnation  proceedings. 

Excess  condemnation  seems  not  to  have  been  practiced 
in  this  country,  except  in  the  case  of  the  acquisition  of 
remnants,  and  even  then  always  with  the  pi'opei'ty  owner's 
consent.  A  successful  example  of  the  application  of  rem- 
nant taking  was  the  acquisition  by  New  York  City  of  rem- 
nants of  property  condemned  for  the  construction  of  the 
Center  Street  subway  at  Canal  Street.  After  building  the 
subway  and  retaining  the  necessary  space  for  entrances, 
the  city  sold  the  property  at  auction,  subject  to  the  ease- 
ment and  reserving  the  space  needed  for  entrances,  at  a 
price  so  near  the  original  purchase  price  that  the  easements 
and  the  space  for  station  entrances  involved  almost  a  nom- 
mal  expense. 

"Constitutional  Amendment  No.  1,  adopted  by  the  voters 
of  the  State  of  New  York  by  substantial  majority  at  the 
recent  election,  makes  possible  in  all  cities  of  the  state  the 
power  of  excess  condemnation.     It  reads: 

"The  Legislature  may  authorize  cities  to  take  more  land 
and  property  than  is  needed  for  actual  construction  in  lay- 
ing out,  widening,  extending,  or  relocating-  parks,  public 
places,  highways  or  streets;  provided,  however,  that  the 
additional  land  and  property  so  authorized  to  be  taken  shall 
be  no  niorc  than  sufficient  to  foi'm  suitable  building  sites 
abutting  on   such   park,   pul)lic   place,   highway   or  street. 


58  CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 

After  so  much  of  the  land  and  property  has  been  appropri- 
ated for  such  park,  pubhc  place,  highway  or  street  as  is 
needed  therefor,  the  remainder  may  be  sold  or  leased," 

This  is  based  upon  the  recent  Massachusetts  Constitu- 
tional Amendment,  and  will  be  of  tremendous  assistance 
in  readjusting  street  systems,  constructing  adequate  bridge 
and  other  approaches,  and  in  the  expansion  of  parks  and 
playgrounds. 

One  case  in  Davenport  the  street  was  to  be  widened  by 
the  taking  of  12  feet  off  of  the  front  of  the  lot.  A  house 
worth  $800.00  projected  two  feet  out  over  the  new  pro- 
posed street  line.  Appraisers  allowed  the  owner  damages 
of  $800.00,  the  City  to  take  the  house  and  dispose  of  it  by 
auction.  If  we  had  had  the  power  of  excess  condemnation 
the  City  could  have  taken  the  whole  property  for  about 
$1,000.00,  had  the  house  moved  back  on  the  lot  at  a  small 
expense,  and  then  the  City  could  have  probably  I'esold  the 
property  for  more  than  the  cost  appraised.  In  the  above 
case  the  City  paid  $800.00  for  the  house  and  sold  it  at  auc- 
tion for  $25.00  to  a  man  who  moved  it  onto  another  lot, 
the  property  owner  getting  $800.00  and  retaining  the  lot, 
on  which  he  intends  erecting  a  modern  dwelling. 

The  following  is  an  example  of  what  occurred  in  New- 
York:  There  was  property  100  feet  deep  valued  at  $11,000. 
The  City  took  30  feet  off  of  the  front  of  the  lot.  The  owner 
was  allowed  $11,000  damages.  He  later  sold  the  remainder 
of  the  lot  for  $12,000  after  the  improvement  was  com- 
pleted. 


FINANCE. 


The  funds  required  to  meet  all  improvements  are  neces- 
sarily provided  for  in  one  of  two  ways;  either  by  taxes  or 
by  borrowing  money  and  issuing  bonds.  Both  of  these 
methods  have  their  limitations ;  the  amount  of  the  bonds  is 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 


59 


PIAGCAM-SHOWIMG- Atet  •  l/iPt  DTt  PAlt  SS-OhCITltS   INIOWA- 
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60  CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 

limited  by  the  statutes  establishing  the  debt  limit,  and  in 
most  cases  there  is  a  limit  placed  on  the  rate  of  tax. 

Comparing  Davenport's  bonded  indebtedness  with  othei' 
lov^a  cities,  we  find  it  is  relatively  small. 

The  present  bonded  indebtedness  of  Davenport,  includ- 
ing $243,000.00  of  Levee  Bonds,  is  only  $803,500.00,  or 
$16.67  per  capita.  The  limit  of  legal  indebtedness  allowed 
is  5%  of  the  total  assessed  value  of  taxable  property — in 
the  City  of  Davenport,  $50,502,860.00.  So  it  would  be  pos- 
sible for  the  City  to  go  into  debt  for  public  improvements 
to  the  extent  of  $2,525,000.00  or  an  increase  of  $1,721,- 
500.00  over  the  present  indebtedness. 


TRANSPORTATION. 

Thoroughly  economic  and  satisfactory  transportation 
facilities  will  not  be  provided  in  any  City  until  the  street 
planning  and  street  railway  authorities  work  hand  in  hand 
in  planning  extensions  and  improvements.  Some  difference 
in  opinion  exists  among  city  planners  as  to  which  is  of 
greater  importance,  the  street  or  the  railway,  but  it  does 
not  seem  that  any  City  would  make  much  progress  if  it  did 
not  have  both,  and  as  both  are  undoubtedly  essential,  they 
should  be  considered  as  directly  related  and  interdependent 
in  any  scheme  of  town  planning.  Street  systetms  have  ex- 
panded more  or  less  arbitrarily  without  any  consideration 
for  their  practical  availability  for  purposes  of  general  trans- 
portation, and  the  rapid  transit  engineers  are  everywhere 
confronted  with  extraordinarily  complex  and  costly  work  in 
providing  the  transportation  facilities  now  demanded  by  the 
public.  A  street  car  system  should  not  only  keep  pace  witli 
the  growth  of  the  City,  but  it  should  also  keep  in  advance 
of  it. 

Good  street  car  service  means  not  only  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  cars  in  service,  but  also  the  use  of  the  right  streets 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


61 


62  CITY  PLANNING  FOR    DAVENPORT 

to  give  good  connections,  and  that  will  provide  the  mini- 
mum points  of  interference.  For  rapid  transportation  there 
should  be  as  few  curves  as  possible. 

There  were  14,558,000  paid  fares  on  all  the  street  car 
lines  in  the  City  of  Davenport  in  1917,  and  12,827,078  in 
1916. 

It  will  only  be  a  short  time  when  the  City  authorities 
cmd  the  street  car  company  will  have  to  consider  plans  for 
extending  materially  the  car  lines  within  the  City  of  Dav- 
enport. 


THE  GROUPING  OF  PUBLIC  BUILDINGS. 

For  economy  of  administration  and  no  less  for  civic  dig- 
nity, pride  and  public  convenience,  a  City's  public  and 
semi-public  buildings  should  usually  be  grouped  around  a 
common  center.  This  not  only  may  provide  a  fine  open 
breathing-  spot  with  restful  shade  and  refreshing  fountains, 
but  vrill  give  proper  perspective  to  each  building-,  and  while 
providing  for  concentration  of  city  business,  effectually  pre- 
vents congestion. 

Realizing  in  addition  that  such  orderly  and  dignified  ar- 
rangement, while  stimulating  civic  pride,  has  proved  of  vast 
commercial  value,  many  cities  are  paying  large  sums  to  tear 
down  whole  blocks  to  accomplish  this  purpose  in  a  worthy 
manner. 

Our  present  City  and  County  buildings,  Postoffice,  etc., 
ai'e  of  ample  size  for  manj^  years  to  come,  so  it  is  not 
deemed  necessary  at  this  time  to  suggest  a  plan  for  the 
grouping  of  Public  Buildings,  as  the  construction  of  new 
buildings  is  not  contemplated. 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 


63 


64  CITY  PLANNING  FOR    DAVENPORT 

BATHINC;  BEACH. 

In  a  City  the  size  of  Davenport,  it  is  surprising  that  no 
successful  effort  has  been  made  to  provide  a  bathing  beach. 
Situated  on  the  bank  of  the  mighty  Mississippi  River  yet 
we  have  absolutely  no  facilities  for  this  form  of  sport  and 
recreation  for  the  people  of  Davenport,  The  so-called  bath- 
ing beach  at  Suburban  Island  is  a  poor  imitation,  badly  lo- 
cated down-stream,  the  water  being  polluted  by  the  many 
sewers  flowing  into  the  river  above.  Many  sicknesses  have 
been  reported  as  coming  directly  from  bathing  there.  Aside 
from  the  filthy  condition  of  the  water,  it  is  dangerous  be- 
cause of  the  swift  current,  and  is  unsatisfactory  due  to 
varying  stages  of  the  river. 

The  nearest  natural  bathing  beach  is  at  Campbell's  Is- 
land reached  after  a  one  and  one-half  hour,  ten-mile  trolley 
ride.  The  time  and  trouljle  necessary  to  reach  this  place 
makes  it  unpopular  with  the  majority  of  Davenporters. 

A  bathing  beach  could  easily  be  constructed  down  on 
the  levee  front  between  Gaines  and  Scott  Street  at  a  nomi- 
nal expense,  which  would  be  of  easy  access  to  all  the  people 
of  Davenport.  This  beach,  if  operated  by  either  the  Levee 
Commission  or  the  Park  Board,  as  is  done  in  other  cities, 
would  be  a  source  of  revenue,  and  would  pay  for  itself  in 
two  years,  if  necessary. 

To  anyone  who  has  witnessed  the  activities  at  the  wad- 
ing pools  in  either  Vander  Veer  or  Fejervary  Parks,  on  a 
hot  day,  it  need  not  be  argued  that  a  bathing  beach  for  the 
grown-ups  would  be  populai'.  The  problem  will  be  to  pro- 
vide one  that  will  be  big  enough  to  accommodate  the 
crowds. 

The  cost  is  estimated  at  about  $50,000,  or  one  dollar 
per  capita — a  small  sum  to  spend  for  such  a  worthy  cause. 


66  CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 

ANOTHER  BRIDGE  NEEDED. 

The  three  cities,  Davenport,  Rock  Island  and  Moline, 
situated  as  they  are,  really  one  unit  with  opposite  frontage 
of  several  miles  on  the  Mississippi  River,  and  with  only  one 
way  of  communication,  a  narrow  bridge  allowing  only  one 
line  of  travel  each  way,  will  need,  if  not  now,  in  the  near 
future,  another  bridge.  An  ideal  location  to  best  serve  the 
business  districts  of  both  cities  would  be  from  the  foot  of 
Ripley  Street  in  Davenport  to  Fifteenth  Street  in  Rock  Is- 
land. 

As  a  general  proposition,  drawbridges  should  be  so  close 
together  as  to  virtually  operate  as  one  bridge,  or  they 
should  be  so  far  apart  as  to  permit  of  a  boat  or  tow  ma- 
neuvering between  the  two  bridges,  in  order  to  make  land- 
ings at  Davenport  or  Rock  Island. 

A  High  Bridge,  with  long  approaches  would  be  the  less 
objectionable  to  navigation  interests,  and  would  do  away 
with  any  delays  to  traffic  over  the  bridge  occasioned  by 
boats  passing  through  the  draw. 

A  tunnel  under  the  river  bed  through  solid  rock,  would 
be  feasible,  and  no  doubt  less  expensive  than  a  bridge, 
which,  exposed  to  the  elements,  needs  constant  inspection 
and  repairs. 


PARKS  AND  PLAYGROUNDS. 

Davenport  has  at  present  eight  City  owned  parks  valued 
at  $1, 007,500.00  distributed  as  shown  on  accompanying  map. 
The  total  area  of  parks  at  present  is  107. 15  acres,  or,  ap- 
proximately, one  aci  e  of  park  for  every  500  inhabitants. 

"Study  of  the  sul)ject  of  piivk  ai'eas  has  led  experts  to 
announce  as  a  hand  "rule  of  thumb"  that  the  subdivided 
portions  of  a  city  ought  to  have  neighborhood  parks,  if  pos- 
sible, not  more  than  one-half  a  mile  from  any  residence,  and 
that  this  area  ought  to  be  equal  to  5  per  cent  of  each  divi- 
sion of  the  city.  ■  Probably  in  no  city  are  the  parks  so  dis- 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


67 


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68  CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 

tributed  because  too  often  the  acquisition  of  parks  is  left 
until  the  only  available  land  is  far  from  the  densely  popu- 
lated districts  of  the  city." 

Our  present  city  area  is  5625  acres.  According  to  the 
above  rule,  five  per  cent  of  this  area  for  parks  would  be  281 
acres,  or  one  acre  of  park  for  every  200  inhabitants,  so  at 
the  pi'esent  date  our  park  area  is  below  the  standard.  The 
Board  of  Park  Commissioners  has  well  under  way  the  con- 
demnation of  Suburban  Island  for  park  purposes.  This  is- 
land has  an  area  of  271.5  acres,  and  when  acquired,  the 
total  acreage  in  City  Parks  will  be  378.95  acres,  making  one 
acre  of  park  for  every  140  people,  which  will  compare  very 
favorably  with  other  American  cities. 


TABLE  OF  PAPJvS  IN  OTHER  CITIES. 

Population     Population  per 
Name  of  City.  1910.  acre  of  parks. 

Kansas  City,  Mo 248,381  120 

Seattle,  Wash 237,194  371 

Denver,   Colo 213,381  205 

St.  Louis,  Mo 734,667  268 

Hartford,  Conn 98,915  147 

Lynn,  Mass 89,330  84 

Memphis,  Tenn 131,105  134 

St.  Paul,  Minn 214,744  153 

The  only  criticism  of  our  present  Park  System  is  that 
they  are  not  sufliciently  scattered,  or  of  sufficient  number, 
to  serve  the  whole  city.  Experts  have  agreed  that  one-half 
mile  is  the  distance  adults  will  walk  for  recreation  and 
pleasure,  and  one-quarter  mile  the  limit  that  children  will 
walk  to  public  playgrounds. 

Using  this  as  a  basis  two-thirds  of  the  City  of  Daven- 
port is  unserved  by  park  facilities.  (See  Map).  Every 
residence  should  be  within  one-half  mile  of  a  public  park 


70  CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 

01-  open  space.  Suburban  Island  will  make  a  beautiful  park, 
but  it  is  out  of  walking  distance.  Practically  everyone  that 
will  visit  this  park  will  have  to  go  by  either  street  car  or 
automobile.  We  should  have  more  small  parks  scattered 
so  as  to  be  within  easy  walking  distance  of  all  our  citizens. 

The  proposed  park  along  Duck  Creek,  as  suggested  by 
John  W.  Alvord,  would  add  about  340  acres  more  for  park 
purposes.  The  following  is  from  his  report  to  the  City 
Council  on  the  Duck  Creek  Sewage  problem: 

"One  of  the  large  problems  confronting  the  City  of 
Davenport  today  is  how  it  may  best  provide  for  the  rapid 
development  of  the  Duck  Creek  District;  that  is,  the  area 
north  of  Locust  Street  and  extending  across  Duck  Creek  for 
half  a  mile  or  more. 

This  area  is  the  logical  district  for  Davenport  to  expand 
into  next;  it  has  a  beautiful  rolling  topography  and  is  the 
nearest  to  the  center  or  business  district  of  any  undevel- 
oped area  around  the  outskirts  of  Davenport.  There  is  no 
doubt  but  that  if  it  is  supplied  with  sewers  and  properly 
laid  out,  this  area  will  quickly  become  one  of  Davenport's 
residential  communities. 

The  town  planning  of  such  an  area  should  ))e  done  after 
a  well  defined,  carefully  thought  out,  and  conscientiously  ex- 
ecuted general  design ;  it  should  not  be  left  to  the  mercy  of 
a  large  number  of  incoordinated  real  estate  promoters' 
plans,  which  would  only  result  in  a  series  of  rectangular 
layouts  to  secure  a  maximum  number  of  lots  without  re- 
gard to  accessibility,  traffic,  topography,  or  the  cost  of 
drainage  or  sewage  construction.  The  future  more  than 
the  present  should  be  kept  in  mind  and  be  the  governing 
factor  for  which  improvements  should  be  planned. 

This  area  presents  an  unusual  oppoi'tunity  in  street 
planning,  and  a  study  of  its  possibilities  shows  that  pro- 
visions for  a  long  narrow  park  ^vjth  drives  and  lagoons  can 
be  usefully  laid  out  on  land  otherwise  valueless  for  residen 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 


71 


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72  CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT 

tial  development  on  account  of  frequent  flooding  from  fresh- 
ets in  Duck  Creek. 

Duck  Creek  is  a  typical  meandering-  prairie  stream  hav- 
ing flat  slopes  and  ordinarily  low  velocities  of  flow.  During 
flood  it  overflows  its  banks  and  flows  over  a  flood  plain  sev- 
eral hundred  feet  wide.  In  a  plan  of  development  for  this 
area,  it  is  evident  that  attention  must  be  given  to  the  prob- 
lem of  handling  the  flood  flows  so  that  the  elevation  of  the 
flood  water  may  be  lowered  and  the  flood  plain  confined  to 
a  narrow  belt  along  the  creek. 

It  is  impiacticable  at  this  time  at  least,  to  build  a  con- 
duit to  carry  the  flow,  and  the  proV)lem,  therefore,  reduces 
to  how  to  carry  the  flood  water  with  the  least  injury  to  the 
property  and  with  as  little  expense  as  possible.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  the  creek  should  be  straightened,  and  in  that 
way  a  steeper  grade  secured,  but  even  with  this  increased 
capacity,  overflowing  of  the  low  land  will  occur,  and  it  is 
suggested  that  the  city  purchase  and  dedicate  a  strip  along 
the  creek  about  600  feet  in  width  for  park  purposes. 

If  the  city  does  not  purchase  this  strip  of  land  for  park 
purposes,  the  creek  will  never  be  straightened,  and  grad- 
ually the  property  owners  will  encroach  upon  the  flood  plain 
until  an  unusual  freshet  occurs  with  consequent  loss  of 
property  and  perhaps  life.  Now  is  the  time  for  Davenport 
to  seize  this  opportunity. 

It  would  be  practicable  to  build  low  dams  in  the  creek, 
which  would  create  lagoons,  and  with  drives  flanking  the 
creek  on  either  side,  a  beautiful  parkway  would  be  reserved 
for  public  use.  The  land  cannot  be  safely  used  for  residen- 
tial purposes,  owing  to  its  danger  of  flooding,  and  an  ex- 
penditure of  $50,000  at  the  present  time  in  this  manner 
will  enable  the  City  of  Davenport  to  start  an  outer  boule- 
vard and  pai'k  system  which  will  be  a  large  asset  to  the 
future  residents  of  this  district." 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT  73 

APPENDIX. 
PROPOSED  LAW  AUTHORIZING  THE  ESTABLISH- 
MENT OF  BUILDING  LINES. 

An  Act,  to  Authorize  the  EstabHshment  of  Building-  Lines 
on  Streets  in  Cities  Which  Now  Have,  or  May  Hereafter 
Have  30,000  or  More  Inhabitants,  and  to  Provide  the 
Manner  in  Which  Damages  and  Benefits  May  Be  De- 
termined and  Paid. 

Be  It  Enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of 
Iowa,  as  follows: 

Section  1.  The  word  "street,"  as  used  in  this  Act, 
means  any  public  highway,  esplanade,  boulevard,  park- 
way, square  or  street,  or  any  part  or  side,  or  part  of  the 
side,  of  any  of  the  same. 

Section  2.  It  shall  be  lawful  for  any  city  now  having, 
or  which  may  hereafter  have,  30,000  or  more  inhabitants, 
to  provide  by  ordinance  for  the  establishment  of  buildin^i- 
lines  on  any  public  street  or  highway.  Such  building  line 
shall  be  established  by  the  same  procedure  as  that  provided 
by  law  in  such  city  for  the  acquiring  of  land  for  the  opening 
of  streets.  After  the  establishment  of  any  such  line  no 
building  or  other  structure  shall  be  erected,  I'econstructed 
or  substantially  repaired,  and  no  new  buildings  or  other 
structure  or  part  thereof  shall  be  re-erected  within  said 
lines  so  established. 

Section  3.  Whenever  and  wherever  a  building  line  shall 
be  established  as  aforesaid,  all  structures  extending  within 
such  building  lines  shall  be  required  to  conform  to  the  new 
line  within  a  period  of  not  more  than  25  years  from  the 
time  of  establishing  said  lines;  such  time  to  be  provided  in 
the  ordinance  providing  foi-  the  establishment  of  such  line. 
At  the  expiration  of  the  time  limit  in  which  all  structures 
are  so  required  to  conform  to  the  new  building  line,  the 
proper  municipal  authorities  shall  proceed  in  the  manner 


74  CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 

then  provided  by  law  relating-  to  condemnation  proceedings 
by  such  cities  to  remove  all  structures  then  within  such 
line;  provided,  however,  that  all  owners  of  property  so 
affected  shall  receive  due  notice  and  hearing  in  the  manner 
then  provided  by  such  law  in  the  determination  of  the  addi- 
tional damages  sustained  by  the  removal  of  such  structure 
then  within  the  building  line. 

Section  4.  In  payment  for  the  real  estate,  improve- 
ments and  easements  to  be  taken  and  acquired  for  the  es- 
tablishment of  such  building  lines  as  are  herein  provided 
and  of  the  damages  sustained  thereby,  benefits  shall  be 
assessed  and  collected  in  the  same  manner  as  provided  by 
law  in  proceedings  in  any  such  city  for  the  acquiring  of 
lands  for  the  openings  of  streets. 

Section  5.  This  Act  shall  not  limit  or  abridge  any 
power  now  or  hereafter  conferied  by  law  on  such  cities  to 
estal)lish  building  hues,  or  take  any  property  or  any  intercut 
therein  by  eminent  domain. 


PROPOSED  CONSTITUTIONAL  AMENDMENT  GRANT- 
ING POWER  OF  EXCESS  CONDEMNATION. 

Submitting  to  the  Qualified  Voters  of  the  State  of  Iowa  an 
Amendment  to  the  Constitution  Thereof  Granting  to 
the  State,  Municipal  Corporations  and  Other  Political 
Subdivisions  of  the  State,  the  Power  of  Excess  Condem- 
nation. 

Section  1.  Providing  for  excess  condemnation  by  the 
State,  municipal  corporations  and  other  political  subdivis- 
ions of  the  State.  Be  it  Resolved  by  the  House,  the  Senate 
concurring  therein:      At   the   general   election  to  be   held 

an  amendment  to  the  Constitution 

of  Iowa  shall  be  submitted  to  the  qualified  voters  of  the 
State  in  the  following  words:  Whenever  the  State,  a  mu- 
nicipal corporation  or  any  political  subdivision  of  the  State 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR  DAVENPORT  75 

authorized  by  law  to  take  private  for  public  use,  shall  ap- 
propi-iate  or  condemn  any  private  property  for  any  public 
use  whatsoever,  or  when  the  State,  a  municipal  corporation 
or  any  political  subdivision  of  the  State  authorized  by  law 
to  take  private  property  for  public  use  in  furtherance  of 
such  public  use,  shall  provide  for  any  public  work  or  im- 
provements which  shall  damage  or  benefit  private  property, 
the  State,  municipal  corporation  or  any  political  sul)division 
of  the  Stale  authorized  by  law  to  take  private  property 
for  public  use,  may  provide  for  the  appropriation  in  fee  by 
the  State,  municipal  corporation  or  other  political  subdi- 
vision of  pi'ivate  property,  or  any  easement  or  use  therein 
in  excess  of  that  actually  required  for  such  specific  purpose, 
under  such  conditions  as  shall  be  prescribed  by  the  Legis- 
lature or  General  Laws  of  the  State,  or  as  prescribed  by 
the  ciiarter  and  ordinance  provisions  of  any  such  municipal 
corporation  operating  under  special  charter,  and  such  ex- 
cess property,  or  right  therein,  so  acquired  by  the  State, 
municipal  corporation  or  other  political  subdivision,  may 
be  sold,  leased  or  otherwise  disposed  of  by  it,  under  such 
terms  and  conditions  as  may  be  prescribed  by  the  laws  of 
the  State  and  the  charter  and  ordinance  provisions  of  any 
municipality,  corporation  oi'  other  political  subdivision,  and 
this  right  of  the  State,  municipal  corporation,  or  other 
political  subdivision  to  acquire  and  sell  such  excess  prop- 
erty, is  hereby  declared  to  be  a  pul:»lic  use;  provided,  how- 
ever, that  such  excess  shall  be  condemned,  and  compensa- 
tion therefor  ascertained  in  the  same  proceeding,  and  in 
the  same  manner  as  near  as  may  be,  as  the  private  prop- 
erty, easement  or  use  actually  needed,  as  aforesaid;  and 
provided,  further,  that  the  value  of  such  excess  shall  be 
paid  for  by  the  State,  municipal  corporation,  or  other  polit- 
ical subdivision,  as  the  case  may  be. 


76  CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT 

PROPOSED  LAW  AUTHORIZING  CREATION  OF  CITY 
PLAN  COMMISSION. 

An  Act  to  Provide  for  City  Plan  Commissions  in  Cities, 
Towns  and  Villag-es  of  This  State,  Which  Have  a  Popu- 
lation of  10,000  or  More,  Providing  Funds  for  Same, 
and  Defining  the  Powers  of  Such  Commissions. 

Be  It  Enacted  by  the  Senate  and  General  Assembly  of  the 
State  of  Iowa: 

1.  That  any  city,  town  or  village  having  a  population 
of  10,000  or  more  is  hereby  authorized  to  appoint  a  City 
Plan  Commission. 

2.  The  City  Plan  Commission  shall  consist  of  six  citi- 
zens, all  of  whom  shall  reside  in  such  municipality,  and 
who  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Mayor,  each  for  a  term  of 
three  years;  the  Mayor,  City  Eng-ineer  and  Commissioner 
of  the  Board  of  Public  Works  to  be  ex-officio  members  of 
the  Commission;  provided,  however,  that  in  the  first  in- 
stance two  of  the  appointments  shall  be  for  three  years, 
two  for  two  years  and  one  for  one  year.  Appointments  Lo 
fill  vacancies  shall  be  for  the  unexpired  term  only. 

3.  Such  Commission  shall  serve  without  pay,  and  it 
shall  be  the  duty  of  such  Commission  to  prepare,  from  time 
to  time,  plans  for  the  systematic  development  and  better- 
ment of  such  municipality  as  a  place  of  residence  or  for 
business.  It  shall  have  the  power  and  authority  to  employ 
clerks  and  a  secretary,  and  to  pay  for  their  services,  and 
to  pay  for  such  other  expenses  as  such  Commission  may 
lawfully  incur,  including  the  necessary  disbursements  in- 
curred by  its  members  in  the  performance  of  their  duties 
as  members  of  said  Commission. 

The  said  City  Plan  Commission  may  consider  and  inves- 
tigate any  subject  matter  tending  to  the  development  and 
betterment  of  such  municipality,  and  make  recommenda- 
tions as  it  may   seem  advisable  concerning  the  adoption 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT  77 

thereof  to  any  department  of  the  municipal,  government, 
and  for  any  purpose  make,  or  cause  to  be  made,  surveys, 
plans  or  maps. 

Before  final  action  shall  be  taken  by  any  municipality 
or  department  thereof  on  the  location  and  design  of  any 
public  building-,  statue,  memorial,  park,  parkway,  boule- 
vard, playground,  public  grounds  or  bridge,  such  question 
shall  be  submitted  to  the  City  Plan  Commission  for  investi- 
gation and  report. 

4.  All  plans,  plats  or  re-plats  of  lands  laid  out  in  lots 
or  plots,  and  the  streets,  alleys,  or  other  portions  of  the 
same  intended  to  be  dedicated  to  public  or  private  use,  shall 
first  be  submitted  to  the  City  Plan  Commission  and  ap- 
proved by  it,  before  it  shall  be  recorded.  Such  plan,  plat, 
or  re-plat  having  indorsed  thereon  the  approval  of  the 
City  Plan  Commission  shall  then  be  submitted  for  action 
to  the  Mayor  and  City  Council.  It  shall  be  unlawful  to 
receive  or  record  such  plan,  plat  or  re-plat  in  any  public 
office,  unless  the  same  shall  bear  thereon,  by  indorsement 
or  otherwise,  the  approval  of  the  City  Plan  Commission, 
and  the  Mayor  and  City  Council.  The  disapproval  of  any 
such  plan,  plat  or  re-plat  by  the  City  Plan  Commission  shalj 
be  deemed  a  refusal  of  the  proposed  dedication  shown 
thereon. 

5.  The  City  Plan  Commission  may  prepare  a  plan  for 
regulating  by  districts  the  height,  bulk,  area  and  use  of  ail 
buildings  in  the  municipality,  in  the  interests  of  public 
health,  safety  and  general  welfare. 

6.  It  shall  be  lawful  for  the  board  or  body  having 
charge  of  the  finances  of  any  city,  town  or  village,  as  afore- 
said, to  appropriate  money  for  the  expenses  of  such  Cit^ 
Plan  Commission. 

The  board  of  estimate  and  apportionment  shall  have 
power  to  regulate  and  limit  the  height  and  l)ulk  of  l)uildings 
hereafter  erected  and  to  regulate  and  determine  the  area 
of  yards,  courts  and  other  open  spaces.     The  board  may 


78  CITY  PLANNING  FOR    DAVENPORT 

divide  the  City  into  districts  of  such  number,  shape  and 
area  as  it  may  deem  best  suited  to  cany  out  the  purposes 
of  this  section.  The  regulations  as  to  the  height  and  bulk 
of  buildings,  and  the  areas  of  yards,  courts  and  other  open 
spaces  shall  be  uniform  for  each  class  of  buildings  through- 
out each  district.  The  regulations  in  one  or  more  districts 
may  differ  from  those  in  other  districts.  Such  regulations 
shall  be  designed  to  secure  safety  from  fire  and  other  dan- 
gers, and  to  pi'omote  the  public  health  and  welfare,  includ- 
ing, so  far  as  conditions  may  permit,  provision  for  adequate 
light,  air  and  convenience  of  access.  The  board  shall  pay 
reasonable  regard  to  the  character  of  buildings  erected  in 
each  district,  the  value  of  the  land,  and  the  use  to  whicli 
it  may  be  put,  to  the  end  that  such  regulations  may  pro- 
mote public  health,  safety  and  welfare  and  the  most  desir- 
able use  for  which  the  land  of  each  district  may  be  adapted 
and  may  tend  to  conserve  the  value  of  buildings  and  en- 
hance the  value  of  land  throughout  the  city.  The  board 
shall  appoint  a  commission  to  recommend  the  boundaries 
of  districts  and  appropriate  regulations  to  be  enforced 
therein.  Such  commission  shall  make  a  tentative  I'eporc 
and  hold  public  hearings  thereon  at  such  times  and  places 
as  said  board  shall  require  before  submitting  its  final  re- 
port. Said  boai'd  shall  not  determine  the  boundaries  of  any 
district,  nor  impose  any  regulation  until  after  the  final  le- 
port  of  a  commission  so  appointed.  After  such  final  report, 
said  board  shall  afford  persons  interested  an  opportunity' 
to  be  heard  at  a  time  and  place  to  be  specified  in  a  notice 
of  hearing  to  })e  published  for  ten  consecutive  days  in  the 
City  Record.  The  board  may  from  time  to  time  after  pub- 
lic notice  and  hearing  amend,  supplement  or  change  said 
regulations  or  districts,  but  in  case  a  protest  against  a  pro- 
posed amendment,  supplement  or  change  be  present,  duly 
signed  and  acknowledged  by  the  owners  of  tv/enty  per 
centum  or  more  of  the  frontage  proposed  to  be  altered,  or 
by  the  ov/ners  of  twenty  per  centum  of  the  frontage  imme- 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT  79 

diately  in  the  rear  thereof,  or  by  the  owners  of  twenty  per 
centum  of  the  frontage  directly  opposite  the  frontage  pro- 
posed to  be  altered,  such  amendment  shall  not  be  passed 
except  by  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  board. 

The  board  of  estimate  and  apportionment  may  regulate 
and  restrict  the  location  of  trades  and  industries  and  the 
location  of  buildings  designed  for  specified  uses,  and  may 
divide  the  city  into  districts  of  such  num})er,  shape  and 
area  as  it  may  deem  best  suited  to  carry  out  the  purposes 
of  this  section.  For  each  such  district,  regulations  may  be 
imposed  designating  the  trades  and  industries  that  shall 
be  excluded  or  subjected  to  special  regulations  and  desig- 
nating the  uses  for  which  buildings  may  not  be  erected  oi 
altered.  Such  regulations  shall  be  designed  to  promote  the 
public  health,  safety  and  general  welfare.  The  board  shall 
give  reasonable  consideration,  among  other  things,  to  the 
character  of  the  district,  its  peculiar  suitability  for  particu- 
lar uses,  the  conservation  of  property  values,  and  the  direc- 
tion of  building  development  in  accord  with  a  well  consid- 
ered plan.  The  board  shall  appoint  a  commission  to  recom- 
mend the  boundaries  of  districts  and  appropriate  regula- 
tions and  restrictions  to  be  imposed  therein.  Such  commis- 
sion shall  make  a  tentative  report  and  hold  public  hearings 
thereon  before  submitting  its  final  report  at  such  time  as 
said  board  shall  require. 

Said  board  shall  not  determine  the  boundaries  of  any 
district,  nor  impose  any  regulations  or  restrictions  until 
after  the  final  report  of  a  commission  so  appointed.  After 
such  final  report  said  board  shall  aflford  persons  interested 
an  opportunity  to  be  heard  at  a  time  and  place  to  be  speci- 
fied in  a  notice  of  hearing  to  be  published  for  ten  consecu- 
tive days  in  the  City  Record.  The  board  may  from  time  Lo 
time  after  public  notice  and  hearing  amend,  supplement  or 
change  said  regulations  or  districts,  but  in  case  a  protest 
against  a  proposed  amendment,  supplement  or  change  be 
presented,  duly  signed  and  acknowledged  by  the  owners  of 


80  CITY  PLANNING  FOR    DAVENPORT 

twenty  per  centum  or  more  of  the  frontage  proposed  to  be 
altered,  or  by  the  owners  of  twenty  per  centum  of  the  front- 
age immediately  in  the  rear  thereof,  or  by  the  owners  of 
twenty  per  centum  of  the  frontage  directly  opposite  the 
frontage  proposed  to  be  altered,  such  amendment  shall  nor 
be  passed  except  by  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  board. 


ACT  OF  IOWA  STATE  LEGISLATURE  AUTHORIZING 
RESTRICTED  RESIDENCE  DISTRICTS  IN  CITIES. 

An  Act,  Authorizing  Cities  of  the  First  Class,  Including 
Cities  Under  Commission  Form  of  Government,  and 
Cities  Under  Special  Charter,  to  Designate  and  Estab- 
lish Restricted  Residence  Districts  and  to  Prohibit  the 
Erection,  Alteration,  and  Repairing  of  Buildings  There- 
on, and  Therein,  for  Certain  Prohibited  Purposes. 

Section  1.  Restricted  Residence  Districts — Petition. — 
Cities  of  the  first  class,  including  cities  under  commission 
form  of  government  and  cities  under  special  chai'ter  may, 
and  upon  petition  of  sixty  per  cent  of  the  owners  of  the  real 
estate  in  the  district  sought  to  be  affected,  residing  in  sucii 
city,  shall  designate  and  establish,  by  appropriate  proceed- 
ings, restricted  residence  districts  within  its  limits. 

Section  2.  Ordinance,  Scope  of. — In  the  ordinance  des- 
ignating and  establishing  such  I'estricted  residence  district, 
every  such  city  is  hereby  empowered  to  provide  and  estab- 
lish reasonable  rules  and  regulation  for  the  erection,  recon- 
struction, altering  and  repairing  of  l)uildings  of  all  kinds, 
within  said  district,  as  well  as  the  use  and  occupation  of 
such  buildings;  and  to  provide  that  no  building  or  other 
structure,  except  residences,  school  houses,  churches,  and 
other  cimiliir  structures  shall  thereafter  be  erected,  altered 
or  repaired,  or  occupied  without  first  securing  from  the  city 
council  of  such  city  a  permit  therefor,  such  permit  to  be  is- 


CITY  PLANNING  FOR   DAVENPORT  81 

sued  under  such  reasonable  rules  and  regulations  as  may  in 
said  ordinance  be  provided. 

Section  3.  Ordinance — Violations.  Any  Iniilding  or 
structure  erected,  altered,  repaired  or  used  in  violation  of 
any  ordinance  passed  under  the  authority  of  this  act,  shall 
be  deemed  a  nuisance,  and  every  such  city  is  hereby  em- 
powered to  provide  by  ordinance  for  the  abatement  of  such 
nuisances,  either  by  fine  or  imprisonment,  or  by  action  in 
the  district  or  municipal  court  of  the  county  in  which  such 
city  is  located,  or  by  both ;  such  action  to  be  prosecuted  in 
the  name  of  the  city. 

Section  4.  Publication  Clause.  This  act  being  deemed 
of  immediate  importance,  shall  take  effect  and  be  enforced 
from  and  after  its  publication  in  the  Des  Moines  Register, 
and  the  Des  Moines  Capital,  both  newspapers  published  in 
Des  Moines,  Polk  County,  Iowa. 


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